After watching a video about digital storytelling and listening to the podcast “Your Most Obedient & Humble Servant,” I began thinking about the relationship between storytelling and history. Storytelling is certainly not something new. People have told stories for thousands of years, long before writing, photography, film, or digital technology existed. What has changed over time is the way we tell stories and the tools we use to communicate them.

From my experience working with documentary films, I know that collecting historical materials is only the beginning of telling a story. Interviews, archival footage, photographs, and documents are pieces of evidence, but they do not automatically form a narrative. The filmmaker must decide how to arrange these materials, what to emphasize, and how to connect them. Even when we work with the same historical materials, we may tell different stories depending on our perspective and the questions we want to explore. This also shows how important interpretation is in both filmmaking and historical research.

I found “Your Most Obedient & Humble Servant” an interesting example of how digital media can communicate history. In an episode about Elizabeth Drinker’s letter from 1778, the historians use a personal document to explore everyday life during the American Revolution. Instead of focusing only on major political figures and military events, the podcast introduces a personal perspective on history. Through the discussion of her letter, we learn about the experiences of people who lived through these historical events. I think this is an effective way to connect individual experiences with larger historical developments.

This also made me think about the difference between history and storytelling. History is based on investigating and interpreting evidence, while storytelling is a way of communicating experiences and giving them meaning. Historical research requires examining sources, questioning their reliability, and understanding the circumstances in which they were produced. Storytelling helps communicate the results of that research to an audience. Digital technology may change how we present these narratives, but it does not remove the responsibility to represent the past accurately.

Another interesting aspect of digital storytelling is the difference between linear and non-linear narratives. In traditional storytelling, such as books, documentary films, or podcasts, the audience usually follows a sequence established by the author. The story has a beginning, a development, and an ending. Even when a film moves backward and forward in time, the filmmaker controls the order in which the audience receives the information. In non-linear digital storytelling, however, the audience may have more freedom to decide which direction to follow.

Moreover, I found interesting about The Road to Canterbury is that the reader becomes an active participant in the storytelling process, making decisions that influence how the story develops rather than simply following the author’s narrative. The story is inspired by Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales and takes place in a historical setting, but it allows readers to make their own choices. This reminded me of computer games, where players make decisions and experience different consequences. I had not really thought about this kind of interactive experience as a form of storytelling before.

Another example is the article about a simulation of college life during the COVID-19 pandemic. I found the idea of presenting a situation through choices and their possible consequences interesting because it allows the audience to explore a problem rather than simply read about it. However, the choices and possible outcomes are still designed by the creator. The audience can participate, but it does not have complete control over the story.

I also think digital storytelling has limitations, especially when it is used to present history. Making a story entertaining or interactive does not necessarily make it historically accurate. There is always a danger of simplifying complicated historical events or mixing historical facts with imagined situations.

Before these readings, I did not know much about digital storytelling, particularly its interactive possibilities. I found it interesting that storytelling can also work like a game, where the audience makes choices and influences how the story develops. I think this makes digital storytelling more engaging because the audience is not just watching or listening but actively participating in the story. It can also be an interesting way to learn about history.

References:

Gehred, Kathryn, host. “Episode 60: Those Guardians of Liberty.” Your Most Obedient & Humble Servant. Podcast, July 14, 2025. Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media, George Mason University. https://podcasts.rrchnm.org/show/your-most-obedient-humble-servant/

Heartfield, Kate. The Road to Canterbury. Interactive fiction game. Choice of Games, 2018. https://www.choiceofgames.com/road-to-canterbury/

Pennsylvania Labor History Society. “Homestead Strike of 1892.” YouTube video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1ZOqiRAIH4

Zahneis, Megan. “A Ph.D. Student Simulated a Day in the Life of a Covid-19-Era Campus. It Went Viral, but It Wasn’t Pretty.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, July 1, 2020. https://archive.is/20200703112628/https://www.chronicle.com/article/A-PhD-Student-Simulated-a/249106