Narratives are a staple of every culture the world over. Yet, argues Ben Macintyre, writer at large for The Times (UK), they are disappearing in an online blizzard of tiny bytes of information.
“The internet, while it communicates so much information so very effectively, does not really “do” narrative. The blog is a soap box, not a story. Facebook is a place for tell-tales perhaps, but not for telling tales. The long-form narrative still does sit easily on the screen, although the e-reader is slowly edging into the mainstream. [...]
What is needed is a machine that can combine the ease and speed of digital technology with the immersive pleasures of narrative.”
The New York Times just published a story about Electronic Literature who seems to be doing well applying narrative to internet technologies.