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112] Digital Media and Storytelling in Higher Education
Haigh and Miller (2018) see digital stories as valuable sources as they
contain key information highlighted by narrators. In one of their projects,
the authors organized a DST workshop on mental health. Participants had
to use the concepts of dignity and respect to narrate the event in their life
that was most significant to them. The researchers found that the result was
forgiveness, reassurance, and mutual empowerment. The researchers held
the second workshop for patients undergoing chemotherapy, asking them to
provide insights into their expectations regarding communication with the
staff. A wealth of information was revealed through the videos that could
not have been elicited through other methods of data collection. Haigh
(2017) highlighted in an earlier study that the analysis of digital stories as
artifacts has taken health research to a higher level, as the narrator’s views are
presented in a direct way and richly illustrated with images. Haigh considers
this raw research data, with more data present in these 3-5 minute videos
that focus on the essentials than in a multi-hour interview. At the same time,
these videos are easily shared on social media, which can also contribute
to the democratization of health care, as the direct exposure of individual
experiences can move decision-makers and the whole system towards more
optimal functioning.
In many cases, only an inter-professional approach to health service
development can help to improve services. In Jamissen and Moulton’s (2017)
DST study, researchers were participant observers and took notes. Data were
supplemented with audio recordings of workshop sessions and an interview
with the facilitator. Researchers investigated communication and collaboration
within the group: students from different disciplines discussed public health
issues (e.g., prevention vs. treatment, what is a disease and what is health)
while becoming more familiar with each other’s views and approaches. This
knowledge sharing led to improved trust and acceptance of each other’s life
situations. Students also learned how to communicate their views to others
and understood that while they do not have to agree, it is important to know
each other’s views. Personal and professional identities also developed through
the interactions.
Studies such as these show why it is important for marginalized social
groups to create digital stories, as their videos help to humanize the narrators
by showing that underrepresented people or those from minority groups who
are generally portrayed negatively in mass media are also parents and working
people with everyday problems similar to the members of the majority society.
A DST workshop in Malaysia similarly articulated the life stories of a minority
community. The participants in question were members of the homosexual
community whose lifestyle represents a taboo in heteronormative Muslim
societies. The aim of this project was elementary: to prevent extremely
vulnerable individuals from being physically attacked because of their sexual
orientation. The 10 anonymous videos were shown in an exhibition that
was open exclusively to Malay Muslims, and after viewing the exhibition