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42] Digital Media and Storytelling in Higher Education
As internet use increases, the time spent reading printed publications is
decreasing, and people read more words through various types of technical
interfaces (mainly smartphones) than in print. According to Carr (2014), the
spread of computer use and the Internet has had a negative impact on many
cognitive functions. In the case of printed texts, absorbed reading can take
place as readers have time to reflect on the textual content and concentration
is more focused. Conversely, when reading hypertext, the practice of deep
reading is replaced by speed reading, while deciphering hypertext and links
exposes the brain to cognitive overload and limits concentration - thus
hindering comprehension, memory, and learning. Ihe flood of competing
multimedia messages overloads working memory, making it harder for
the frontal lobe to focus attention; the more the Internet is used, the more
accustomed the brain becomes to distraction. Carr argues that the constant
multitasking that results from media concentration is a hindrance to deep
and creative thinking, and that the Internet is not a supplement to biological
memory, but a substitute for it. Sztits (2021) summarizes the phenomenon: “As
a result of digitization and searchability, our basic literacy has been transformed
into an interactive, global, decentralized, anytime, anywhere, multimedia-like,
broadly distributed, but less imprinted knowledge.” (2021, p. 24)
In addition to Carr’s technological determinism, attention should also be
drawn to the importance of hypertext, as Internet texts offer a variety of data
combinations and knowledge construction possibilities through hyperlinks
and sharing. Applications that can be downloaded onto smart devices facilitate
the experiential reception of information in a variety of forms, and even allow
users to attach augmented reality to real-world objects. An excellent example
is the use of GPS technology. Applications exist which help users create
hiking routes in the form of audio guides, videos, and trip reports, while at
the same time creating new shareable routes using their GPS coordinates. In
addition, a number of companies offer sightseeing tours that use the user’s
location data to provide localized information about buildings in the area.
People on such sightseeing tours looked at their location on the route using
tablets, and the stories associated with different buildings appeared to them
during their trip as they were linked to GPS coordinates. Using a map of
Budapest, the Starry Houses initiative highlights the buildings which were
marked with the Star of David in 1944. The stories of these houses and the
Jews who lived in them are displayed on an interactive map.°
The human being living in a world of media convergence in the 21“ century
is not only a knowledge-constructing recipient following applications and
hyperlinks, but is also an active, creative and communicative social being.
Internet platforms allow recipients to reflect on the content, engage in public
or private dialogues and publish narrative content in any format.
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