Digital storytelling: A tool for social connectedness
S. Sehrawat, C.A. Jones, J. Orlando, T. Bowers, A. Rubins
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AbstractThis participatory-action research recruited college students from various academic disciplines to design and implement an intergenerational storytelling project. This research used digital storytelling (DS) as a mechanism for social connectedness with older adults. After training students in the DS tool, intergenerational teams were formed consisting of students and older adults. These teams met twice to prepare and bond prior to an intensive daylong DS workshop. Students shared their digital story with their project partners, providing a medium for connectedness among each team. The workshop allowed each team to co-create the older adult’s digital story. This story focused on a moment in the life of their older adult partner. The final products, i.e. Digital Stories along with the process of this project allowed older adults to record ‘a moment of time’ and share that moment with others. A questionnaire was used to gather the older adults’ experiences with this project. Older adult participants reported an increase in social connectedness and network size through sharing their digital story with friends, family, and project participants. It was through this sharing that provided an avenue to connect with others. This project created a connection and ripple outside the boundaries of this study as participants shared their stories with intergenerational audiences outside of this study. More investigation is needed to explore the radius of a digital story as the vehicle of social connectedness, and the intergenerational bond.Keywords: digital storytelling, social connectedness, older adults
S. Sehrawat, C.A. Jones, J. Orlando, T. Bowers, A. Rubins (2017). Digital storytelling: A tool for social connectedness. Gerontechnology, 16(1), 56-61
https://doi.org/10.4017/gt.2017.16.1.006.00