Reading both versions of the article “Rihanna Wears Durag…” the classical and the digital versions of the same article presented completely different experiences even as the words and message remained the same. Even if I knew they were the same article, I had completely different experiences. I had to convince myself this was the same article. I got fatigued and had to stop several times while reading the classic version.
On paper, one would assume the digital version would be distracting. My experience was the opposite. I was continuously distracted reading the classic version with advertising and sidebar elements. My eyes were seeing everything all at once. On the other hand, on the digital version, the dark black background held my attention to the article in a similar way to how a darkened movie theatre is more immersive than watching TV at home.
With the digital version, it was as if I was reading the article for the first time. I experienced the article as if the narrative was being revealed to me slowly. It had a layered approach building my interest. I scrolled through the words paragraph after paragraph. At timed intervals I was invited to watch a video, listen to embedded audio, scroll through fashion carousels and see moving images of Rihanna. These brought the article to life. Sometimes I imagined sound even as audio was off. It was just her words in quotes.
I was especially grateful that on the digital version there was an obvious visual delineation between what was part of the article and what would be interesting side reads or posts that I should revisit later.
The best experience of all was reading the digital version on my MacBook desktop because of the size of the screen and how neat everything looked visually. I damaged my 2015 iPad. Reading this article was an invitation for me to purchase a new one to enjoy digital content like this even more.
Reflection on Digital Storytelling by Mari Hlmr
Reading both versions of the article “Rihanna Wears Durag…” above, the classical and the digital versions of the same article presented a completely different experience even as the words and message remained the same. Even if I knew they were the same article, I had completely different experiences. I had to convince myself this was the same article. I got fatigued and had to stop several times while reading the classic version.
On paper, one would assume the digital version would be distracting. My experience was the opposite. I was continuously distracted reading the classic version with advertising and sidebar elements. My eyes were seeing everything all at once. On the other hand, on the digital version, the dark black background held my attention to the article in a similar way to how a darkened movie theatre is more immersive than watching TV at home.
With the digital version, it was as if I was reading the article for the first time. I experienced the article as if the narrative was being revealed to me slowly. It had a layered approach building my interest. I scrolled through the words paragraph after paragraph. At timed intervals I was invited to watch a video, listen to embedded audio, scroll through fashion carousels and see moving images of Rihanna. These brought the article to life. Sometimes I imagined sound even as audio was off. It was just her words in quotes.
I was especially grateful that on the digital version there was an obvious visual delineation between what was part of the article and what would be interesting side reads or posts that I should revisit later.
The best experience of all was reading the digital version on my MacBook desktop because of the size of the screen and how neat everything looked visually. I damaged my 2015 iPad. Reading this article was an invitation for me to purchase a new one to enjoy digital content like this even more.
