According to Wikipedia, Transmedia Storytelling is an advanced content creation concept first proposed in 2003 by MIT professor Henry Jenkins. It advocates for considering the audience’s experience needs across different media platforms (such as television, publishing, film, and video games) when planning entertainment content projects. Around a unified worldview, independent yet logically interconnected storylines unfold across various media platforms, enhancing the depth and complexity of characters.
Some argue that transmedia storytelling might impact certain groups’ information consumption because it can be too costly. For instance, people who want to experience the latest VR games need to purchase VR equipment, which may be unaffordable for low-income families. However, I want to emphasize that these groups are not only hindered in their consumption of information but are also neglected in the extended content of transmedia storytelling. For content producers, using social media to expand media narratives has become a trend. While social media has become part of daily life, is this really beneficial for social fairness?
Before discussing how transmedia storytelling may harm social equity on social media, let’s first consider one question: who continually extends the content of media products? I believe that while information producers are the creators of media content (such as movies, TV shows, and games), social media users play a significant role in controlling the flow of the story and influencing what happens next in the narrative. For example, if most comments on social media suggest that a character should become the main character in the next season, the producers are likely to follow the advice. Thus, control over media narratives might lie in the hands of a small group of social media users, rather than the content producers themselves.
A typical example is the video game Resident Evil. I started playing Resident Evil at a young age and really enjoyed its survival horror concept. However, when Capcom released Resident Evil 6 in 2012, I found it hard to like the sequel. It shifted from survival horror to a first-person shooter (FPS), and the storyline didn’t align well with the earlier games. I now realize that I was part of the neglected group, not the social media users on Twitter (@CapcomUSA_). In contrast, Capcom fans influenced the narrative of Resident Evil 6 through comments, votes, and other ways on Twitter.
To this day, Resident Evil‘s narrative continues to expand across different media platforms. From a business perspective, transmedia storytelling is a fantastic concept, but from a social standpoint, some groups are unable to fairly participate in media information, such as those who cannot afford smart products (like low-income families), those who are geographically restricted from accessing information (such as users in Mainland China), or those who are just media consumers and not social media users (like children). Over time, while transmedia storytelling has given new life to media products, it has also decreased their fairness and originality.
Excitingly, now everyone can create new media content on social media or virtual platforms (like TikTok, YouTube, Steam, etc.), without being constrained by the original information producers. For example, there are many Resident Evil derivative games, comics, and more online, created by individual internet users rather than Capcom. I believe that what truly makes society more equitable is that every individual has the ability to create media content, driven by interest and creativity, rather than by money.
According to Wikipedia, Transmedia Storytelling is an advanced content creation concept first proposed in 2003 by MIT professor Henry Jenkins. It advocates for considering the audience’s experience needs across different media platforms (such as television, publishing, film, and video games) when planning entertainment content projects. Around a unified worldview, independent yet logically interconnected storylines unfold across various media platforms, enhancing the depth and complexity of characters.
Some argue that transmedia storytelling might impact certain groups’ information consumption because it can be too costly. For instance, people who want to experience the latest VR games need to purchase VR equipment, which may be unaffordable for low-income families. However, I want to emphasize that these groups are not only hindered in their consumption of information but are also neglected in the extended content of transmedia storytelling. For content producers, using social media to expand media narratives has become a trend. While social media has become part of daily life, is this really beneficial for social fairness?
Before discussing how transmedia storytelling may harm social equity on social media, let’s first consider one question: who continually extends the content of media products? I believe that while information producers are the creators of media content (such as movies, TV shows, and games), social media users play a significant role in controlling the flow of the story and influencing what happens next in the narrative. For example, if most comments on social media suggest that a character should become the main character in the next season, the producers are likely to follow the advice. Thus, control over media narratives might lie in the hands of a small group of social media users, rather than the content producers themselves.
A typical example is the video game Resident Evil. I started playing Resident Evil at a young age and really enjoyed its survival horror concept. However, when Capcom released Resident Evil 6 in 2012, I found it hard to like the sequel. It shifted from survival horror to a first-person shooter (FPS), and the storyline didn’t align well with the earlier games. I now realize that I was part of the neglected group, not the social media users on Twitter (@CapcomUSA_). In contrast, Capcom fans influenced the narrative of Resident Evil 6 through comments, votes, and other ways on Twitter.
To this day, Resident Evil‘s narrative continues to expand across different media platforms. From a business perspective, transmedia storytelling is a fantastic concept, but from a social standpoint, some groups are unable to fairly participate in media information, such as those who cannot afford smart products (like low-income families), those who are geographically restricted from accessing information (such as users in Mainland China), or those who are just media consumers and not social media users (like children). Over time, while transmedia storytelling has given new life to media products, it has also decreased their fairness and originality.
Excitingly, now everyone can create new media content on social media or virtual platforms (like TikTok, YouTube, Steam, etc.), without being constrained by the original information producers. For example, there are many Resident Evil derivative games, comics, and more online, created by individual internet users rather than Capcom. I believe that what truly makes society more equitable is that every individual has the ability to create media content, driven by interest and creativity, rather than by money.