University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics Christian Hoffmann Christian Hoffmann Once upon a blog… Paradigms of Narrative Interaction

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics Outlook 1.Weblog Narration 2. Narrative Interaction 3. New Concepts of Narrative Interaction 4. A Continuum of Weblog Narratives 5. Results

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics 1. Weblog Narration Multilinearity Fragmentation Interactivity Multimodality

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics Multilinearity Fragmentation Interactivity Multimodality Versatile Access Lack of Closure Decomposition: Narrative Segmentation Hypertext: De-Contextualization Collaborative Authorship: Distributed Narratives Semiotic Flexibility: Visual, Aural & Filmic Displays

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics Although originally intended for individual use, in practice weblogs increasingly appear to facilitate distributed conversations. This could have important implications for the use of this technology as a medium for collaboration. (De Moor 2004) Ordinary Storytelling, in sum, is (choose a term) a coconstruction, an interactional achievement, a joint production, a collaboration, and so forth. (Schegloff 1997) 2. Narrative Interaction

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics (Efimova 2004)  Distributed Conversations  Distributed Narratives?

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics Taking ‘talk-in-interaction’ as the relevant domain, an analyst is constrained to take into account the different settings of ‘orality’ […] in which different speech-exchange systems with different turn-taking practices differentially shape stories and the practice of storytelling, not to mention the different practical activities in whose cause, and on whose behalf, storytelling might be undertaken. (Schegloff 1997) The Literary View: Interaction as Reading (Cognition) The Conversational View: Interaction as Negotiation (Collaboration) The Subjective View: Interaction as Browsing (Selection) The Network View: Interaction as Co-Construction (Participation)

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics First Degree Interaction (Prototype: Written/Printed Text Types)  Inhibited Interaction Between Interlocutors (De-Contextualization)  Difficulties to Negotiate Ad Hoc Text Meanings with Author  Stable Discourse Structure or Design. Second Degree Interaction (Prototype: Website) Readers / Users Determine Individual Reading Orders and Select Pre-Defined Text Units and Web Sites Via  Activating Hyperlinks  Using Search Engines  Typing in Websites Manually Third Degree Interaction (Participation) (Prototype: Weblog) Readers / Users Attain High Degree of Interaction By  Creating Personal Data Online  Adding Information to Present Data  Tagging Information According to Personal Interest  Contributing to Online Evaluations / Opinion Polls  Designing Specific Elements of the Webpage Fourth Degree Interaction (Prototype: Face-to-Face Communication)  Synchronous Two-Way Interaction  Negotiability of Discourse Meanings and Intentions  Valuable Use of Deixis, Non-Verbal Language and Contextual Cues

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics Classic NarrativeConversational Narrative InterestComposition / SequencePurpose / Function PrototypeOral MonologOral Dialog InitiatorsLabov & Waletzky (1967)Schegloff (1977) Selective NarrativeDistributed Narrative InterestComposition / Hyper-Sequence Fragmentation of Themes / Perspectives / Functions PrototypeWebsite / Game Book / Computer Game Weblogs / Social Network Sites InitiatorsLandow (1994), Bolter (1998), Manovich (2001) Walker (2003), Bizzocchi (2005) 3. New Concepts of Narrative Interaction

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics The point is not that we should add stories to our sites to ensnare narrative-starved readers. The point is that the reader’s journey through our site is a narrative experience. Our job is to make the narrative satisfying. “Beyond Usability and Design: The Narrative Web” (Mark Bernstein)

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics Weblog … = Entry / Comment = Weblog as Database Hypernarrative = Narrative

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics accessed 14 Sept Gamebook Map

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics The Distributed Narrative (Walker 2003) Distributed narratives don’t bring media together to make a total artwork. Distributed narratives explode the work altogether, sending fragments and shards across media, through the network and sometimes into the physical spaces that we live in. (Walker 2003) In the case of blogs, the shaping and reshaping of narratives, turn by turn, in the course of everyday face-to-face conversation [,,,] expand their potential in time and in forms (i.e. written, visual, and aural modes). (Bazzanella: forthcoming)

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics The Distributed Narrative (Walker 2003) Distribution of Authorship Distribution in Time Distribution in Space

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics Distributed Authorship One of the ways in which the story of a weblogger is distributed is by the story being told by several different narrators, [in comments] or on their independent sites. (Walker 2003:9)

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics Distribution in Time Weblogs are an obvious example of the success of serial narrative on the web. Most posts in weblogs are short enough to be read in a few minutes. Instead of watching a twenty-two minute episode each week, a weblog is read in two-or five-minute sessions once a day or once every few days. (Walker 2003)

Exerpt from: Jill/Txt ( )

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics Distribution in Space The authors surrender control of how their work which spreads and is pasted in new contexts, and new context produces new meanings. (Walker 2003) Stickers. Hyperfiction project: Implementation (Scott Rettberg, Nick Montfort)

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics Narrative CriteriaCharacteristics TellershipConcerns the Amount of People Involved in the Telling. TellabilityCovers the Importance of the Narrative Event for the Interlocutors. EmbeddednessRefers to the Degree of Thematic Integration into the Ongoing Disourse. LinearityCaptures Organizational Features and Thematic Unfolding of the Narrative. Moral StanceRelates to the Teller’s Perspective on the Recounted Events. (Quasthoff & Becker 2005)

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics DefaultConversational 4. A Continuum of Weblog Interaction SelectiveDistributed Classic Narrative One Active Teller Highly Tellable Account Relatively Detached From Context (Surrounding Talk and Activity) Linear Organization Constant Moral Stance Hypernarrative Multiple (Co-)Tellers Moderatly Tellable Account Relatively Embedded in Context (Surrounding Talk and Activity) Multilinear Organization Vague, Fluid Moral Stance

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics First Degree Interaction Second Degree Interaction Third Degree Interaction (Participation) Default Narrative 1 Author/ 1 Entry - Hyperlinks - Comments Selective Narrative 1 Author/Sev. Entries + Hyperlinks + Comments Collaborative Narrative + Multiple Authors (1 Blog) + Multiple entries + Hyperlinks + Comments Distributed Narrative + Multiple Authors (Sev. Blogs) + Multiple Entries + Hyperlinks/ comment + search eng./tags Classic Narrative One Active Teller Highly Tellable Account Relatively Detached From Context (Surrounding Talk and Activity) Linear Organization Constant Moral Stance Hypernarrative Multiple (Co-)Tellers Moderatly Tellable Account Relatively Embedded in Context (Surrounding Talk and Activity) Multilinear Organization Vague, Fluid Moral Stance

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics 5. Results -Weblog Narratives Vary in Size, Theme, Authorship & Interactivity -Narrative Variation Affords Various Degrees of Interaction -Weblogs Decompose & Disperse Narratives Across Time & Space -There Are Four Concepts of Narration Interaction:  Default, Selective, Collaborative, Distributed Narrative -Metaphorical Shift: Collaboration  Personalization

University of Augsburg Department of English Linguistics Thank You Very Much for Your Attention!