Digital Storytelling and Social Work

WINTER 2015 VOLUME 11

Technological innovations and media

consumption are expanding at an exponential

rate, allowing for increased access to various

digital resources and forms of connection

around the world. As technology grows and

diversifies, so do opportunities and forms of

social work interventions. Digital storytelling is

one way social workers can utilize technology

and media to work with diverse populations as

a means of giving voice, empowering,

advocating and capacity building (Couldry,

2008; Given, 2006). This technological

advancement also brings about necessary

resources for creating successful digital

storytelling campaigns which are (OR which

become) more and more accessible. However,

like all interventions, there are ethical considerations for

creating safe, effective digital stories and collections.

Digital storytelling is a recorded, visual storytelling

medium that has the potential to integrate personal

narrative with photographs, artwork, text and video. These

creations can serve many purposes, from sharing individual

and community strengths and successes to voicing

challenges and experiences with statistical data and other

similar, thematic stories. In fact, entire stories can be

recorded and produced with as little as a smartphone or

similar device. Intentionally created stories and curated

collections have been used to promote critical awareness,

advocate, empower and build communities (Center for

Digital Storytelling, 2015). Digital stories have the potential

to utilize stories, poetry, rap and other forms of personal

expression to create stylistically and thematically diverse and

powerful works (Podkalicka & Campbell, 2010).

The process of digital storytelling aligns with many

of the values and goals of social work practice. The process

of creating a digital narrative (as well as the finished

product) has the power to affect the individuals, communities

and listeners involved in the process. The development and

production of stories provides opportunities for capacity

building and community building. Digital storytelling projects

offers chances for storytellers to gain capacity in video

recording, editing, story selection and other areas of video

production (Podkalicka & Campbell, 2010). Additionally,

projects integrated into programmatic and educational

opportunities also allow for youth participants to integrate

personal interests, educational goals and 21st century skills

development like interactive communication, interpersonal

skills, and personal and social responsibility (Czarnecki, 2009;

Podkalicka & Campbell, 2010). Through telling, reworking and

reflecting on stories, individuals also have opportunities to

focus on their strengths, gain voice, promoting resiliency, and

even experience therapeutic benefits (Beltrán & Begun, 2014;

Christiansen, 2009). Social workers can use this opportunity to

help storytellers to develop personal agency and self-

representation through their story crafting (Lennette, Cox, &

Brough, 2013).

By Jesse Kerstetter

WINTER 2015 VOLUME 11

Digital storytelling projects also have the potential

of benefiting the groups of storytellers and the communities

that they represent. Finalized stories and collections are able

to give voice to marginalized groups and expose them to

previously underrepresented media spaces. Successful

projects have helped to build community and advocacy for

refugees, indigenous people, and medical patients. One

benefit of giving these communities voice is in the creation

and dissemination of a counter-narrative, something that

can be used to challenge stereotypes and dominant societal

narratives (Lennette, Cox, & Brough, 2013). One particular

digital storytelling project with a Maori community

showcased the power of helping indigenous people confront

historical trauma and promoting community healing (Beltrán

& Begun, 2014). This project served as a safe space for the

local community to address generational marginalization and

oppression, which has created serious mental health and

social implications along the way. While this process was

only limited to one workshop, the process took into account

the cultural power of storytelling as a concept of medicine

within this indigenous community, rather than just framing

their story within dominant New Zealand narrative (Beltrán

& Begun, 2014).

While there are multiple learning opportunities for

the social workers, individuals and communities directly,

there are also opportunities for audience members outside

of the communities. Completed pieces are opportunities to

promote education and advocacy. Nottingham University

Division of Nursing and a patient advocacy group

collaborated in recording the challenges of new nurses and

patient experiences as a way to educate and emotionally

prepare recently graduated student nurses in their new

careers. This project helped the intended audience to

develop empathy skills and self-reflective skills in their

professional time after university (Stacey & Hardy, 2010).

The idea of empathy and education extend beyond the

nursing field and help bridge divides between segregated

communities, promote advocacy and exposure where there

may not previously have been any (Lennette, Cox, & Brough,

2013). With exposure, education and empathy, stories have the

power to inspire new dialogues among people of power and

marginalized communities in attempts to change policies and

social systems (Couldry, 2008; Given, 2006; Podkalicka &

Campbell, 2010).

When a social worker chooses to use digital

storytelling there are many ethical considerations that need to

be contemplated throughout the process. Many concerns

relate to the safety, consent, and self-representation of the

storytellers. The Center for Digital Storytelling has even

developed ethical guidelines and a Digital Storyteller’s Bill of

Rights as a means of protecting storyteller’s rights, safety and

agency. While the process of storytelling has the ability to

empower, it also has the risk of being triggering, causing the

individual to relive the trauma (Center for Digital Storytelling,

2015). Like all media productions, consent is also important.

And for consent to remain ethical, project leaders will need to

transparent in expressing project intent, story ownership and

story development among many other considerations.

Storytellers should have the agency to remove themselves and

their completed works at all times, as well as being able to

guide the content and creative aspects of their story (Center

for Digital Storytelling, 2015; Banks et al., 2013). Privacy of the

storyteller and individuals identified therein is another

important consideration (Lennette, Cox, & Brough, 2013).

Project leaders should also be culturally humble

through the development of these projects with particular

awareness of potential power dynamics between the

storytellers, project curators, and future audience members.

This is particularly important in assisting with the shaping of

the project so that technical advisors don’t alter a storyteller’s

message, or that a storyteller alters their own message to say

what they think someone else wants to hear (Wang, C., &

Redwood-Jones, 2001).

WINTER 2015 VOLUME 11

Social workers also need to think of not

perpetuating stereotypes through guiding and curating the

project, while allowing participants to naturally share the

stories they choose to show (Banks et al. 2013, Lennette,

Cox, & Brough, 2013). These considerations can help ensure

that a vulnerable population isn’t being exploited for

alternative agendas and that they are not further exposed to

potentially challenging situations.

Emphasis on a digital storytelling intervention’s process or final production provides different opportunities for individual and community growth. The process of creating and reflecting provides opportunities for individual interpersonal development and capacity building, that collectively adds to the strengths of their community. And while final products can impact the individual storytellers, they can collectively be used to promote awareness, education and advocacy change for communities. Social work practitioners need to develop a digital storytelling project that takes into account a community’s strengths and barriers, their collective goals for change, and many ethical considerations to ensure the promotion of agency and a successful project. While the social worker serves as a co-facilitator and producer, in the end, storytellers’ narratives and shared experiences are theirs, and serve as representations of strength, resilience, medicine and hope in their community and beyond.