Acknowledging the Dark Side of Storytelling

Complimentary release of Chapters 34 and 35

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The dark side of storytelling – why you need to know more about it

The stories we create and spread can have enormous power. We use storytelling to make connections, and most of the time, we use it with good intentions. However, there is also a dark side to storytelling, which we don't often talk about but can learn to recognise when we encounter it. For this reason, we made it possible for you to access Chapters 34 and 35 of the book.

I encourage you to read them with an open mind and share it further.

– Klaus Sommer Paulsen

Download the full chapters

Here's a snippet from Chapter 34 "Acknowledging the Dark Side of Storytelling":

Positioning a group, country or geographical region as the enemy to take attention away from challenges and problems

It is one the oldest trick in the book of the rulers of countries, kingdoms and empires. If the people are not happy with the inner workings managed by the ruling class, distract them or point their growing hostility outward rather than inward. With a clear, external enemy or threat the kings, queens, emperors, prime ministers and presidents can maintain a classic helper or hero position with the population. This practice is still widely used by those in power. Following several incidents where what was deemed definitive evidence of other countries was exposed as less definitive or even not being provable, a healthy scepticism has been rooted within most of the media, political opponents and not at least common people.

To the story designer and creator, looking across multiple layers beyond the obvious can uncover hidden intent and help focus on the real problem, not the symptom or the distraction.

Published in 2021 by Routledge,
Taylor and Francis Group

INTEGRATED STORYTELLING BY DESIGN

Concepts, Principles and Methods for New Narrative Dimensions

by Klaus Sommer Paulsen

This pioneering work equips you with the skills you need to create and design powerful stories and concepts for interactive, digital, multi-platform storytelling and experience design that will take audience engagement to the next level.

Klaus Sommer Paulsen presents a bold new vision of what storytelling can become if we reinvented it as an audience-centric design method. His practices unlock new ways of combining story with experience for a variety of existing, new and upcoming platforms.

Find the book here

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