Storytelling is one of the oldest and most powerful ways of communication in humans. And the reasons for it are quite simple: traditional storytelling combines different elements that stimulate many senses: sight through the body language of the storyteller, hearing through sounds including not only words, and touch through body contact in case the storyteller wanted to use this strategy. Also, the feeling of hearing a story in a group is similar to watching a soccer game with friends or watching a movie. The group experience enhanced the power of the story.
Different types of storytelling
Today we have many different types of storytelling. There is written storytelling, which is today also one of the most powerful tools next to visual storytelling. There is no doubt that these ways of communication shape our world today. However, today traditional storytelling – that is oral storytelling – remains the most powerful way of communication. The reasons were mentioned already before. The more senses are stimulated, the more powerful the message. Another reason for it is that human emotions can be felt. For this reason, a person who dominates oral storytelling can influence people much easier than a person that dominates only the written storytelling form. There are endless examples of it only by looking at the most famous leaders of our history.
Another reason why oral storytelling is still the most powerful way of communication is that the written word needs to be read, and imagined by the reader. The more complex a writing is the more imagination and knowledge the reader has to possess. Oral storytelling balances this disadvantage by adding other elements. For this reason, oral storytelling has a higher impact. However, since education nowadays has reached very high levels, humans have excellent reading skills. And if the writer possesses the ability to explain complex terms in easy ways, the message will have also a very high impact.
Importance of storytelling today
But what is the role of storytelling today? Is it more important than ever before? Or is its importance decreasing continuously? Humanity is already in the era of artificial intelligence. That means that access to knowledge is much easier than before. In some way, every piece of information is telling a story. But the mind can’t handle so many stories at the same time. Therefore there are some human abilities that will become much more important than ever before:
- Concentration: The amount of information available is impossible to manage for the human mind. The ability to concentrate on certain tasks will become more important.
- Creativity: A problem that will arise with the high amount of information is that in some cases creativity is not been stimulated because the information is already delivered. The mind becomes more of a consumer than a producer.
- Connecting dots: Here concentration and imagination will help to develop the ability to connect dots. Topics that seem unrelated will become similar thanks to the imagination.
- Filtering of information: This ability is very similar to concentration. The ability to discard information very fast will be necessary before deciding to concentrate on other pieces of information.
- Storytelling: Because humans are literally flooded with information, any kind of storytelling needs a high impact to attract the attention of the audience.
Artificial Intelligence and storytelling
Artificial intelligence is already capable to write stories. However, the most important element of a story for a human is still the human element – that is, the sharing of emotions. It could be that one day AI will be able to grasp the actual emotions of humanity or groups of humans in a specific place. But this will take still some time. And exactly this is the ability that will differentiate AI-generated text from text written by a human. I guess that scientific papers will be written very soon by AI since the only necessary information that the AI needs to write a paper are the results and the structure of the paper. On the other side, real stories –the ones that use emotions- are more difficult to be generated by an AI. Only humans can grasp emotions, and communicate with other humans accordingly to these emotions.
Therefore, being a storyteller today is much easier than ever before. But to be a good storyteller will become more difficult, but more necessary than ever before.
One response
I am not sujre where you’re getting your info, but great topic.
I needs to spend some time learning mmuch more or understanding more.
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mmy mission.