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Part III. Digital Media and Storytelling in Research | 111
In DUSTY, a social center for young adults, a homeless individual and a
school dropout realized the deconstructive nature of their life strategies while
creating several digital stories. Later they tried to uncover the helpfulness of
the people and institutions around them in order to develop a new perspective
for the future (Hull & Katz, 2006). Similar developments could be seen in
the SzivHang (=Heart Voice) program in which Roma women reflected on
their social situation. They reflected on the situations in which they felt the
most vulnerable and analyzed how they reacted to such situations and what
strategies they used. In the process, they became aware of their own agency,
and learned how to act constructively using old and new behavior patterns.
Agency in the creative process empowers individuals with a sense of being able
to participate as actors in other social acts, as well (Lanszki and Horvath, 2017).
Matthews and Sunderland (2013) consider the genre of DST as a confessional
summary. Articulations of marginalized groups that have been silenced in
mass media can easily enter the social public consciousness in the form of a
digital story. Since the advent of Web 2.0, content does not require filtering
by gatekeepers, meaning that amateur productions can easily be made public.
The digital story is easy to share on online platforms because of its short
video format. Individual life stories constantly go viral on social media,
where authenticity is enhanced by relaying first-hand experiences in person
illustrated with personal images. The aim of such self-expression is to make
society aware of the issues people face and to initiate social or political change.
DST is an excellent medium for demonstrating the problems of
underrepresented groups in the media of the majority. Eglinton et al. (2017)
examined the living conditions of the Alaskan Inuit population through
content analysis of over 200 digital stories. The research team found that
DST is an excellent way to make the conditions of socioeconomically and/
or geographically marginalized people more visible in mainstream society
and to encourage public action by decision-makers.
Data is present in the entire creative and interaction-rich process of DST
methodology, especially in the story circle and in the final reflections on
the videos and process. As the researcher participates as a facilitator in this
process, the research is considered action research. In addition, the researcher
observes and analyzes texts and images, but at the same time, being part of
the process, he or she may identify new directions for future research.
The data for participatory action research with DST comes from the
analysis of the workshop presentations and the content of the digital stories.
In addition to analyzing the visual and textual elements, the researcher should
pay particular attention to the narratives and reflections at the beginning of
the process, in the storytelling circle and during the projection of the digital
stories, as they can provide important pieces of information. As the researcher
also presents the process elements in the presentation of the research findings,
the most relevant presentation of the research is in the form of a case study.