First Advisor
Dr. Teresa Healy
Abstract
This capstone asks how individual narrative can transform collective awareness through the sharing of story, and how these stories might be a force for social change. Insights from the research pose the argument that it is empathy and empowerment that leads to individual and collective healing, understanding and social change. We learn by listening as people open up and share their accounts of experiences that hold meaning in their lives. Sharing a story can transcend experience, and create a ripple effect within society. The intimacy born from these connections nurtures empathy which can in turn expand our perceptions of identity, the world, our place in it, and our relationships with one another and the environment. Yet as important as empathy is in the process of social change, it is only a seed. Through this research I explore not only the impact that narrative has on storytellers and listeners, but also the steps that turn story telling into a tool for social change.
Disciplines
Audio Arts and Acoustics
Recommended Citation
Esons, Amanda, "The Ripple Effects of Digital Storytelling: Transforming Collective Consciousness" (2015). Capstone Collection. 2801.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/2801