Storytelling has broken. How storytelling has changed and why brands need to take note of it

One of the first things I learned when I approached the world of communication, specifically in the "Image Promotion" course at the University of Padua, was that storytelling is crucial if we want our message to be understood and internalized. From there, I became passionate about stories and the psychology behind them, until I explored them in all their forms.

Storytelling is "a communication technique and strategy, which can be applied in a variety of communication contexts. It captures the attention and stimulates the interest of the listener, establishing an emotional connection. Storytelling is a practice that dates back to the dawn of humanity, enchanting women and men since before the birth of writing. The word "storytelling" is rooted in the verb "narrate," meaning to tell in the form of a fable, to narrate, to create a plot through which to develop a story. Before writing, tribes (understood as early human societal forms) used the technique of oral storytelling to pass on traditions, memories, and knowledge. They sang, they drew, they whispered-all to ensure that they were remembered and passed on, on a par with genetic traits in nature.

Storytelling involves people and all their senses, and today, more than ever, one cannot think of communication and advertising without storytelling. Only the cheaper, more primal versions will simply say "hey, look at me, buy me, you need me."

"Collapsing Narratives" identified a subtle trend affecting storytelling that alerts us to a potential paradigm shift. Basically, it tells us that "narrative (traditional, ed.) is collapsing" and that "storytelling is no longer linear, nor does it follow a set structure."

“[...]to survive the modern attention economy, storytelling on social is mutating. [...] they’re collapsing and starting mid-narrative, or expanding and becoming scattered across platforms.”

With the increasingly massive use of social media, narrative has found a new way of existing and responding to people's attention: like a mushroom, it has adapted incredibly well to the new ecosystem, broken up, and each fragment has become a potential generative spore. The "mid-narrative" mentioned in the report refers precisely to this new feature of storytelling, namely that of being able to start new stories at any time within a single narrative strand. People, no longer passive spectators, feel more involved and initiate new narrative strands themselves, through their own interpretations, points of view and sharing, at any point in the pre-existing story.

You may be wondering: why do we need to shed light on this evolution? What do we need to know it for? The answer is: if we want to continue to have an audience that listens to us, understands us, and remembers us, it is essential to take this into account.

We need to confront the fact that what we are telling is a potential spore, which travels, fragments further, changes language and meets other targets. This may seem alarming and give us the impression that we are completely powerless in the face of such mutability, but it is actually a plus point and a great responsibility: today, our storytelling can reach more people, spark many more conversations, and resonate on other platforms.

I admit, as a story-worshiper myself, I'm a bit scared of it, but I can't help but admire the courage of communication, which changes, responds and never shuts down.

A first interpretation of this trend could encapsulate the following developmental points:

• build courageous content that doesn't just stop at the most suitable channel, but explores new ones: this is the only way they can discover unknown communities and fandoms that have been waiting for nothing more than to receive initial contact;
• ask people to interact to build stories: let's move away from the usual "comment, like, send it to friends," let's ask for sharing that really engages and allows the user to experience our content across platforms;
• get out of the box and experiment with achievements: the Los Angeles Chargers communicated their sports calendar through a short anime, moving away from the usual sports communication and identifying a new niche of fans. Hello, Inter, can you hear me?

In conclusion, I admit I am still conflicted with this narrative collapse thing-I love them in a deep way, stories, and I believe they are of fundamental importance in self-perception as well-but I can't help but take note and collaborate with this new form.