Case Studies in Voice

Abstract

This chapter considers digital storytelling from a meso perspective — or middle distance. First, I describe the considerations of facilitators, organisations and web curators as they conceive digital storytelling initiatives and distribution strategies — in particular the facilitation of voice in my three case studies. The fact that digital storytelling is principally organised around non-expert media-makers signals the explicit involvement of experts as mentors throughout creative production and distribution processes. Mediating influences are inevitable and they occur at numerous intersections: the translation of organisational objectives into practical outcomes; the enfolding of individual identities into collectives (e.g. ‘GLBTQIS’ storytellers); and the compilation of personal anecdotes into edited media documents and web archives. What influences do these mediators of voice have upon self-expression?