Towards a Co-Creative Immersive Digital Storytelling Methodology to Explore Experiences of Homelessness in Loughborough

Abstract

Despite the potential use of digital storytelling with marginalised groups, there are few examples of its application in homelessness or examinations of co-creative relationships in this context. Along with digital storytelling, this research used immersive media (virtual reality and 360 degree video) to explore place-based social exclusion. In the feasibility study, with four doctoral researchers at Loughborough University as participants, immersive digital stories were co-created. The aim of this study was to understand how to create place-based immersive digital stories, through adapting existing digital storytelling methods and the co-creation of virtual reality, to inform best practices for future studies involving participants who have experienced homelessness. Participants created maps and empathy timelines, shared stories, recorded voiceovers and edited footage. The researcher facilitated this and recorded the 360-degree filmed footage. The final stories proved to explore place-based social exclusion. Co-creative relationships were found to be more significant between the researcher and individual participant than amongst the participants as a group. With immersive media, the researcher’s experience formed an active part of the finished pieces. Despite this, participants described their role as director, being ultimately in control. These findings will influence the methods that will be used in the future with those who have experienced homelessness in Loughborough. They also show how immersive media in digital storytelling can strengthen co-creation and acknowledge the researcher in the story.