Hello. Computer?

I've read lots of interesting things this morning. So many that I can't be arsed linking to all of them, so you'll have to take my word for it.

In fact - "can't be arsed linking to them" is exactly what this post is about.

I'm working on a project where everyone keeps talking about "storytelling" in relation to digital. Yet no-one can give me a clear example of what this means, because digital "stories" aren't like proper narratives - there's no beginning, middle, or end to them. And I should know - I'm a fucking writer after all. People seem to say "narrative" but what they really mean is "users clicking on shit until they get bored". There's no "journey" (which is the other thing they keep saying) with Facebook for example- it's just stimulus and response; input/output. But the popularity of Facebook means that the world, his wife and their swedish bi-sexual au pair now think that by pulling a load of data off an RSS feed, sellotaping a login/forum facility and "populating" the whole thing with video! VIDEO!! MORE FUCKING VIDEO!!! constitutes some kind of rich, immersive user experience. Just cos we've got cheap broadband doesn't mean we're The Lawnmower Man. And just cos I use the internet to book my holiday, doesn't mean I want to spend my time there. The internet's a utility. Not a destination.

So, you want stories, guys? I'll tell you a story. It's called "Pygmalion", and it's about a man who falls in love with a statue he made.

End of story.