Transmedia storytelling, diegetic paratexts, and the limits of real time

Abstract

The category of ‘transmedia story’ is generally assumed to be static. That is, once a multi-platform story world has been classified as transmedia, it is assumed that this classification applies on an ongoing basis. However, these classifications may in fact need to be revisited, particularly when a story is told in ‘real time’ across social platforms that privilege immediacy. In this paper, we examine the relationship between diegetic social media paratexts and the core text they connect to, using the example of in online transmedia story The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. We argue that once the narrative has concluded, the transmedia status of the story becomes problematic, given the effort required to stitch together the different transmedial components. Utilising qualitative and quantitative content analysis, the show is analysed to determine the relationship between the different elements of the text as presented on YouTube and Twitter. The diegetic paratexts distributed through social media site Twitter contribute to the narrative by expanding upon the events of the core text conveyed on YouTube, and providing context – but never resolution – to the plot. The Twitter paratexts are inherently dependent on the core text but are also directional in that audience members must move from one platform to another in order to engage with the full story. Additionally, the temporal model of release for the core text changes the impact of the diegetic paratexts, while limiting the longevity of the transmedia aspects to the text as a result of dispersed narrative and dependency created by the relationship between textual elements. This analysis helps to extend understandings of transmedia storytelling as we propose the concept of ‘transmedia artefacts’, a category for narratives that transform once they are no longer able to be engaged with as live online objects.