Keywords

1 Introduction

Digital storytelling (DST) has evolved in the presence of technological advancement over the past ten years, currently creating suitable and more inclusive stories. Consequently, digital stories are multimodal, multimedia presentations merging diverse digital aspects within tale structures. Instances of such media are video, social media aspects such as Tweets, images, audio, and cooperative facets such as digital maps. Therefore, digital storytelling is a digital media communications approach that lets individuals share their stories and experiences every day. Digital storytelling is utilized in various segments, including communication, research, marketing, psychology, and education. This study will emphasize three aspects of the digital version of storytelling: the studies, models, and practices. There are numerous studies on digital storytelling ranging in education, health, identity, and relationships.

On the other hand, digital storytelling practices focus on how best they are conveyed to other people. Examples of such patterns of digital storytelling include health, identity, strategic communication, and the creation of interrelationships. In such categories and many others, the best practices emphasize relevance and reaction, informing and educating people. For instance, a healthy digital version of storytelling should provoke a response, and the person telling them must reach as many people as possible.

Therefore, the digital understanding of storytelling practices is to connect emotionally with the audience to impact their actions. Digital storytelling depicts a challenging form of generating a connection between old style oral storytelling and the communication form utilized in the modern era and information advancement. Therefore, models for digital storytelling describe the interventions used. The primary digital storytelling modes include videos, photovoice, and slide shows. Thus, the are also three implementation models of digital storytelling. They constitute digital storytelling using slide shows, using photovoice, and using video techniques. Older people face several challenges in relation to psycho-physical health and may experience a range of psychological comorbidities. Advances in multimodal, multimedia technology have made it possible to use digital storytelling (DST) as an intervention to improve health. A review by Stargatt et al. [1] focuses on the effects of DST on health in the elderly (cognitive and psychophysical well-being). The results of another review [2] showed that all stakeholders in the health system could be producers of digital stories with various objectives, such as community health, empathy promotion, attitude and behaviour change, clinical thinking, and skill improvement. A decisively interesting article, albeit one more concerned with the educational aspect, is Yeh and Mitric [3]; it demonstrates ways to incorporate Instagram as a multimodal DST tool to (1) promote the motivation and engagement English language learners (ELLs) at the university level; (2) improve the oral and written skills of ELLs; and (3) help ELL’s stories and voices be heard. The advent of new media and new digital technologies have changed the classic storytelling methods. Starting in the 90s, thanks to the studies of Joe Lambert and Diana Atchley [4], Digital Storytelling was born, that is a particular narrative technique that makes use of the use of digital tools. Scholar Meadows [5] defines DST as «short and personal multimedia stories, told from the heart», stating that «it is not just a tool, but a revolution». Most digital stories are collected in online repositories, such as the Berkeley Center for Digital Storytelling website, where the stories are divided by subject areas. Over time, the advent of social media has brought about a considerable change. In fact, social media have in a short time revolutionized the classic way of communicating, allowing a rapid and viral use of information. With this in mind, the way in which digital stories are used also changes. There is an increasing tendency to use social media platforms for sharing digital stories, as their circulation is much more viral and dynamic than traditional media and platforms.

2 Background

Over the past ten years, our universe and how we narrate stories has changed in a myriad way. For example, people have shifted from face-to-face physical levels to digital platforms to stimulate social movements via digital smartphones through social media accounts. First, in the past decade, there has been an evolvement of digital visual storytelling. The rise of this form of storytelling has allowed numerous people to show stories more than before. Through such evolvement, it has added a storytelling dimension that demands improved connection and creativity. Whereas images have regularly had a place in narration dating back to the cave paintings times, the development of methods such as live scribing, explainer animations, and infographics change the way individuals “show,” listen to, and tell stories. Seeing concepts, projects, and dialogues brought to reality before people’s eyes is a game changer to how organizations or people intend to tell stories. Arising digital storytelling via visuals in the past decade built a space for tremendous inclusion of diverse learners’ types across cultural and language divides.

Secondly, story narration has evolved into sharing people’s opinions and marketing trends through the digital brand story [6]. It is not enough to depend on the services and products’ uniqueness or dominance to market themselves in the current century. The global market necessitates and demands more than their dominance to flourish through the brand story. Through such stories, they engage people’s consciousness in ways that thus far has been difficult to achieve. The brand story enables one to share the products’ purpose with customers and prospects. However, digital storytelling for strategic communication purposes should be authentic enough to connect and resonate with audiences. For example, over the past ten years, we have witnessed the Airbnb company maximizing on the “belong anywhere” story, enabling it to stand out. The company has been carrying out branding from its website to campaigns attracting more customers through video storytelling.

Thirdly, digital storytelling has evolved over the past decade to foster social movements, unlike with traditional story approaches. During this digital period, actions spark events across the whole human structure in moments. For instance, digital storytelling through Tweets has witnessed social movements such as #BlackLivesMatter and #MeToo. They are successful because they focus on using multimodal affordances of digital storytelling across digital platforms that in turn facilitate social change. Therefore, the practices of these digital storytelling movements have been carried out through YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, and Reddit over the past decade. The evolution of such stories, characterized by collective and united voices, have lead to new paradigms emerging. Consequently, new technologies have enabled the successful evolution of these digital stories since they have changed how people see, share, and listen to them. Digital technology platforms have allowed individuals to compress time and geographical barriers, enabling awareness creation, engagements, and development of the digital stories locally and globally.

Furthermore, digital storytelling over the past ten years has experienced more democratization than before. People have had storytelling power in their hands since 2010, leading to democratic evolution. With such changes, we are now hearing and seeing various narratives and voices across diverse stands than ever before. If we contemplate the implausible power that digital stories possess to impact perception, build connections, and make the universe change happen, storytelling democratization is considerable for all individuals. Consequently, within the past ten years, digital stories have allowed human beings to live the “mantra” (nothing about people, without people) and generate a more all encompassing and equitable universe.

3 Studies on Digital Storytelling

Over the past decade, there have been various studies on digital storytelling in multiple fields. Some studies have focused on how they have been utilized to support teaching and learning in the education field. In this study, Robin [7] explains that digital storytelling in the past ten years has increased the number of students and educators worldwide through computerized short stories in the form of video, music, and audio. In the medical and health sector, some studies focus on digital storytelling as a technique in health research. According to Rieger et al., digital storytelling in the health sector is vital in developing a detailed comprehension of how researchers have utilized it as a technique aiming to refine its future iterations. Other studies base on the effectiveness of digital storytelling in education, revealing identity, family, relationships, and even human rights witnessed through social movements. These studies present various digital storytelling practices such as research, communication, educational learning, marketing, and cultural awareness and practices through tourism.

Sports depression is a serious mental health problem among athletes. Ofoegbu et al. [8] conducted a study to determine the effect of a rational DST as an intervention for depression in a sample of adolescent-athletes with special educational needs. The participants consisted of 60 school-aged adolescent athletes with special educational needs (treatment group, n = 30, control group, n = 30) and moderate to severe depression. Hakanurmi et al. [9] studied the improvement of work quality and well-being in a business organisation through DST. A study by Kim et al. [25] in a clinical setting qualitatively analysed the metacommunication developed during the DST process for patients undergoing haematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). DST has been adopted for university courses, including sociology courses. In an experiment by Vaughn and Leon [11], the practice was useful for the following: (1) developing students’ sociological imagination and intersectional thinking by linking their own experiences to social theory, (2) developing transferable technological skills, and (3) learning to apply sociological concepts outside the classroom. Rodriguez-Illera et al. [12] analysed the reasons that guide the publication of personal stories as well as the kind of filters, agents, and consequences articulated in these stories. For this purpose, the most qualitative part of a survey on guidelines for publishing adolescents on the Internet is summarised. Specifically, the results of a semi-structured interview with 12 adolescents aged 12–20 were shown.

The responses showed that the respondents’ perspective on what constituted a digital story went beyond format and varied depending on the network it was published on as well as the type of content. Thus, the emphasis and motivation of the publication shifted from the digital, which was incorporated as something normal and non-differential, towards the personal, focusing the publications on the daily lives of young people. Liontas and Mannion [13] presented the main benefits of DST for teachers and students. The main objective of the review was to maximise the conditions of multimodal creation for optimal online and offline learning. It was concluded that students are effectively able to transform themselves from passive consumers of technology into active creators of digital compositions, of a voice and of a story.

Computational thinking (CT) is a problem-solving skill that can motivate students to learn English. The “present, practice and produce” method has been applied as a method for presenting computational thinking in the English language learning class [14]. The results demonstrate the positive effect of the CT strategy on strengthening the problem-solving skills of students participating in DST and on increasing their motivation and performance in learning the English language. Nosrati and Detlor [15] explored how cultural organisations in cities can use digital stories to enhance the public perception of a city. The aim of this study was to understand how end users are influenced by a city’s cultural DST information system and the benefits of using such a system. Meanwhile, Shiri et al. [16] examined the role of DST in the enhancement and preservation of oral traditions and cultural heritage. Schmier [17] highlighted how enabling primary school students to use digital tools to tell their stories has created new spaces for pupils to represent their identities. This has also educated them from the point of view of media and helped teachers plan practices of meaningful reading.

4 Objective

This review aimed to find and evaluate available studies of digital storytelling, practices, and its models. The objective will also constitute an in-depth evaluation of practices and models of digital storytelling. Consequently, the entire study will evaluate diverse digital storytelling aspects and their effectiveness in communicating the message to the audience.

4.1 Overall Aim and Review Questions

This review’s overall aim is to acknowledge and synthesize evidence on the studies, models, and practices of digital storytelling over the past decade. The questions that will direct this narrative review are as mentioned: a) What are the main foci of the studies and contexts of digital storytelling in diverse fields? b) What models are available for digital storytelling? c) What are the fundamental practices of using digital storytelling within various fields and in real life?

5 Materials and Methods

This narrative review will create evidence about the practices, models, and studies on digital storytelling in various sectors such health and education, maximizing on established review techniques used in solving health problems. It is a unique review since it focuses on the research technique instead of the intervention or phenomenon. Even though quantitative and qualitative studies and mixed methods will be included, only narrative information related to our study questions will be extracted. The PRISMA-P checklist [18] guided the progression of this review protocol.

5.1 Eligibility Criteria

Only research in English language and exploring the studies, practices, and models on digital storytelling was included. Including only English language articles is due to the cost of obtaining and translating other language articles. We considered published articles from 2010 to the present to align the evolving digital storytelling nature. Articles chosen had to have accurate abstracts and titles. Accurate abstracts and titles emphasized the studies and models touching on digital storytelling’s effectiveness and use in various fields such as education and health. The eligibility criteria were explained mainly to include the following attributes:

  • Published in the English language Peer-reviewed

  • A standard item containing novel information

  • Focusing on digital storytelling in the education, health, and marketing sectors principally

  • Published 2010 to present

  • Focus on specified areas and data collection somewhat

The articles chosen based on the above attributes were further reread and systematized based on demonstrative sample quality. The evidence levels of the sample studies utilized in representation must have been determined based on a specific confidence grade in representative samples. The pieces had to have experienced digital storytelling effectiveness or impacts on that particular study.

5.2 Intervention and Outcomes

This narrative review will include primary research studies that utilize digital storytelling as a technique at any point in the study process (data collection, analysis, recruitment, or knowledge translation). On the other hand, outcomes will be extracted related to how digital storytelling impacts the individuals and their activities over the past ten years. Such actions can improve health, education, and business marketing.

5.3 Search Strategy and Information Sources

Informed by an initial literature search for “digital storytelling” and its deviations, various primary search databases were used. They include Google Scholar, Art Full Text, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, and Cochrane Library.

Regarding the inclusion and exclusion criteria used here, the articles were selected from peer-reviewed English journals that aimed to describe or evaluate the dimensions and variables expressed with respect to the research topic mentioned above (screening). Articles from publications that did not deal with the topic in relation to the fields of education/psychology, communication, marketing, as well as those for which the complete text (relevance) was not found, were excluded. A qualitative synthesis of the most relevant information was also conducted with comparisons done between the various publications.

The search on these databases reflected the range of likely terminology to capture studies appropriate to digital storytelling evolvement in the past ten years. Search tools and approaches particular to each database is used, including keywords truncation where suitable. It includes using subject headings and thesaurus terms and compounding search and terms strings with the eligible Boolean operators. For the comprehensiveness, papers that employed mixed methods, quantitative, and qualitative techniques were considered.

5.4 Data Extraction

The selection procedure started with reading the abstracts and titles of the considered articles. After identifying and excluding the abstracts that rarely seem satisfactory, the remaining articles were fully explored. Articles and papers identified as appropriate for the narrative review process were inspected, and considerable information on the studies, models, and practices was extracted. Data extracted will comprise purpose, setting, benefits, limitations, procedures, and ethical standards of digital storytelling practices, studies, and models. Other collected information was reported from the commencement of the review where representatives of the chosen populations faced threats or biasness in looking for the studies. Limitations to the strategies used and research efficiency to allow their reduction was similarly taken as considerable information. The data collection setting observed the predetermined questions technique defined by the review research questions. The extracted information from selected studies will include:

  • 5.4.1 Title, article/journal title, authors, publication date

  • 5.4.2 Digital storytelling description

  • 5.4.3 Role of digital storytelling

  • 5.4.4 Findings or results of the study relevant to digital storytelling

5.5 Data Synthesis

A narrative review is a type of publication that describes and discusses the state of the science of a specific topic or theme from a theoretical and contextual point of view. This type of review article does not list the types of databases and methodological approaches used to conduct the review or the evaluation criteria used to determine the inclusion of retrieved articles during database searches.

A narrative review consists of the critical analysis of the literature published in books and electronic or paper journals. Narrative reviews have an important role in continuing education because they provide readers with up-to-date knowledge about a specific topic or theme. This type of review does not describe the methodological approach in a way that would permit reproduction of analyses based on the data or answer specific quantitative research questions [19]. Care was taken to prevent falsely presenting the results and avoiding the unsuitable focus on the results of a specifically selected publication for the research. Consequently, the data synthesis approach resided on the following procedures and comprised the following:

  • 5.5.1 Review of the effectiveness of digital storytelling as it evolved over the past ten years.

  • 5.5.2 Description of the models and practices from the digital storytelling point of view.

  • 5.5.3 Supposed weaknesses, contributions, and strengths of each digital storytelling publication included. It was carried out depending on how they analyzed digital storytelling in each field they covered.

Generally, the extracted narrative data will be presented in an evidence table ordered by study design and research procedure/stage integrating the digital stories. Provided that this narrative review will evaluate how digital storytelling has been employed across different fields, we will not emphasize synthesizing the study findings of the included research. Still, we will assess digital storytelling’s impact in various areas such as medical, educational, and marketing or between individuals. Additionally, the synthesis will evaluate digital storytelling models and practices.

6 Results

6.1 Selected Studies

The databases produced 300 references. In this case, 50 were published in PubMed, 50 in Medline, and the remaining were in EMBASE, Google Scholar, and Cochrane.

The process we undertook for including studies in the systematic review included over 300,000 results. After eliminating duplicates and articles in languages other than English, the search identified 301 studies consistent with the search parameters. After excluding publications that did not fit with the selection criteria (n = 245) and those that had to be excluded because their content or the ways that the researchers applied the concept of digital storytelling the areas of application of digital storytelling fall outside the parameters set for the research sample (n = 31), 25 remained that met the inclusion criteria. The studies were integrated with a supplementary keyword search on the latest trends in the literature on the topics addressed in this study.

After evaluating the articles based on the eligibility as mentioned above criteria, 25 studies were selected. The high number of similar research articles depicted that there has been a more concern with studies on digital storytelling over the past decade. There are diverse research topics about digital storytelling, its models and practices in various fields from these articles (Table 1).

Table 1. Assessed selected articles.
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6.2 Methodological Quality Assessment of Included Reviews

The two reviewers assisting with this review independently executed this assessment. However, these two reviews conducted pilot testing to assess the three review questions before the actual evaluation. The outcome showed suitable and reliable review questions reliability (depicting 85% agreement). They also performed the second pilot test on another review to evaluate if the understanding of reliability had improved. The second review pilot test showed 100% agreement depicting an improvement in reliability. Disagreements in the evaluations were managed in a consensus dialogue after comparing differences between the two assessors on digital stories. This narrative review has the following characteristics [20]:

  • research method: not predefined based on a protocol, which implies subjective selection bias

  • inclusion of studies: undertaken based on authors’ intuition and research experience

  • data extraction: non-protocol-based and providing a simple description of study results

  • data quality: partially objective classification using anecdotal resources

6.3 Certainty of Evidence Assessment

To assess certainty in the general evidence body, we utilized the GRADE approach. Guyatt et al. [21] highlight that certainty of the evidence is how certain it is that the actual intervention effect lies within the selected range or on one side of a quantified threshold. In this review, the 95% of confidence interval was used the specified range, or the instituted MID (minimal importance difference) as the selected threshold. When available, GRADE and risk of bias assessments were utilized made by the included reviews’ authors. When not available, GRADE was applied and assessed the potential limitations due to the bias risk, imprecision, inconsistency, and indirectness grounded the original studies.

6.4 Individual Studies Results

Individuals’ articles were categorized as either representing an individual, group, or organizational-focused approach. Contemplating the individuals’ category, the primary concern was the qualification and improvement of personal internal resources. Such could be carried out through the individual’s dynamic behavior. Generally, the articles present a customized approach where the instruments perform considerably to empower individuals in digital storytelling via expanding their knowledge and skills. Concerning group approaches, digital storytelling practices and models promoted interprofessional collectiveness, interpersonal relations, teamwork, and good communication. The research articles advocate that digital storytelling has been the core of transition from analogue to digital stories over the past ten years regarding the organization mechanism. Improvement of the instruments and models used during digital storytelling can boost its practices in various fields. All the studies examined present diverse approach forms of practicing digital storytelling and what is perceived as the ultimate advantage: improved quality of digital storytelling practices (Table 2).

Table 2. Types of digital storytelling practices per category
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7 Discussion

This narrative review concentrated on the frameworks, practices, models, and purposes for which digital storytelling is utilized in various platforms, circumstances, and fields. Similarly, it outlines the impact of digital storytelling in such outlined areas and people’s behavior on its usage. Given the popularity of social media platforms, for instance, Instagram (informal digital stories), Twitter (social movement digital stories), and Facebook, we speculate that diverse fields will continue to embrace and utilize digital storytelling. Such outcomes are because individuals, organizations, and even firms use digital storytelling for communication, marketing, education, and the health profession. Currently, this review depicts that most digital storytelling studies over the past ten years are happening in educational, health care, and marketing settings. These findings emphasize that education, health, and marketing fields often utilize digital platforms, constructive environments, and collaborative learning in different practices. In a medical or health setting, there is a developing interest in arts-based education which entails digital storytelling. Such pedagogy utilizes art as a channel to back knowledge progression in subjects other than art. People can create art such as digital stories or respond to that of others to learn specific matters. Research reveals that the digital stories pedagogy can foster cultural awareness (for example, through tourism), community partnerships, social collaboration, self-awareness, observational skills in nursing, and whole personal progression. Therefore, as interest in arts-based teaching intensifies, were more confident that digital storytelling will become more predominant in various professions in the coming years. A significant question raised by this review’s findings is: what counts or constitutes digital storytelling? As defined in the introduction, digital storytelling necessitates that it combines first-person and stand-alone narratives with multimedia. Therefore, from this review, digital storytelling constitutes or counts digital platforms and is used for diverse practices. From this review, communication, health, marketing, and family practices through digital storytelling have been more critical in the past ten years. Similarly, interactive and narrative models have been used in such practices over the last ten years.

8 Conclusion

This narrative review assessed 25 empirical studies. All studies focused on digital storytelling, as well as different fields of tourism, then marketing, communication, health, such as psychology and education. Therefore, the assessed studies reported on the utilization of digital storytelling for varied, diverse aims, practices and covered an extensive range of topics. The authors emphasized the following issues:

  • Family interactions and learning from generating their digital stories

  • Health practices and professionals’ learning from the variation of digital stories

  • Digital storytelling variations and impact on tourism and marketing

  • Communication practices in digital storytelling over the past decade

  • Digital storytelling as a research method in the health profession

  • Digital storytelling effects in supporting learning and education

Overall, creating digital stories in different fields enhances the understanding, promotes cultural activities, research, and gives individuals the platforms to express themselves. There is a growing number of publications establishing DST as an effective strategy for improving hypertension outcomes. DST reduced unscheduled meetings, and the programme was deemed feasible [22]. The study by Enverga et al. [23] aimed to explore the lived experiences of school-age students while digitally narrating the story of a boy and his undesirable food choices. The participants exhibited varying degrees of connection and understanding with the digital story and no doubt encountered a learning experience through the digital story presented. DST supports student learning and enables teachers to adopt better and innovative teaching methods. Fiction is a proven and popular pedagogy; however, DST is relatively recent and still rarely used in early childhood education. Using a case study of “fiction – art – science club” in Jakarta, Indonesia, Rahiem [24] explored how and why DST is used in early childhood education. It was found that DST is engaging and communicative. Kim and Li [10] examined how DST has facilitated middle school students’ reflection and learning. It showed how to incorporate DST into a school curriculum to develop expressive resources and identity by improving motivation, creativity, and connection with others. Rolbiecki et al. [26] studied bereaved family members. The data revealed that participation in DST induced various effects: (1) writing and verbalising the script helped participants organise their thoughts and emotions about the loss; (2) having the space to share with a collective group enhanced their confidence in their ability to discuss their feelings with others; and (3) the final product served to process and distance themselves from the event. Hsieh [27] probed the positive and negative effects on students and their perceptions as a result of various presentation modes (robot-assisted or PowerPoint-assisted) using DST. This study involved 52 eighth-grade students. Despite the positive emotions experienced in both modes of presentation, the results of negative emotions were more mixed, as the students in both groups highlighted the feeling of fear during preparation and presentation. In addition, some trials [28] used DST intervention based on rational emotional behavioral therapy, which shows great potential in addressing burnout among adolescent athletes with disabilities. Furthermore, DST is an effective method for reducing anxiety in patients who are candidates for open heart surgery [29]. Patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) can recall their memories in a digital diary and recreate them in a 3D WorldBuilder. During therapy, a virtual agent is present to inform and guide patients through the sessions, using a question form to recall traumatic memories [30]. This system has the potential to be a valuable addition to the spectrum of PTSD treatments, offering a new type of virtual agent-assisted home therapy. VoicingHan [31] is a project that uses digital avatars that promote the reworking of the meaning of one’s life for dying patients. VoicingHan enrolled 12 patients receiving outpatient palliative care at the VCU Massey Cancer Centre. The narrative performances were recorded via the avatar video format to build the life re-meaning process. One study developed a marketing simulation through DST to facilitate the learning of marketing strategies; this is a useful tool for entrepreneurs that includes communication techniques, emotional involvement, and user persuasion [32]. The aim of the study by Fischbach and Guerrero [33] was to explore how the DST of a brand’s story creates a transformative learning experience for students. The tool is therefore digital brand storytelling, a new and contemporary application area of this DST model.

The applications of DST include its link with creativity. For instance, using creative DST to help crowdsourcing companies [34] brings out the persuasive nature of the practice. In the context of learning, the goal was to evaluate the development of students’ creativity through the practice of science-centred DST [35]. The students turned their personal values into stories; hence, this creative procedure was influenced by social, cultural, and ethnographic characteristics. DSTs conveyed on social media through hashtags also lead to some political discussions. This is the case for the narratives on the theme of LGBTQ rights and freedom of speech to challenge political censorship [36]. Social participation and democratic commitment have often accompanied the application of DST. In fact, DST is a democratic tool for mediating knowledge and a mode of scientific diplomacy [37]. Dissemination has produced science-citizen interfaces highlighting citizen engagement in critical scientific debates. Within this sector, there exists a niche of studies conducted on the relationship between DST and social movements [38]. Analysis in the context of applying social participation and democracy through qualitative data indicated the power of the feminist DST for opportunities, access, validation, and healing with respect to HIV disease, promoting social equity in sexual health, or advocating for abortion rights in Ireland [39] or as a bereavement intervention in the family [26]. Special needs are also experimenting with this practice as an inclusive laboratory, such as in the project that used an innovative DST to explore the experiences and perspectives of five four-year-old autistic children and their families. As the children prepared to make the transition from inclusive day-care to primary school [40]. The authors tried to answer two related questions: (1) How do we listen to children who “have no words”? (2) What do we learn from them when we do so?

Rahiem [24] suggested that teachers’ ability to use DST should be improved. Information and communication technology (ICT) devices in schools should be more widespread, as governments need to modernize school equipment, which is rapidly becoming obsolete. Similarly, the curriculum should be adapted to meet technological developments and provide opportunities for children to learn how to make good use of technology.

New digital media and new technologies have revolutionized the way of storytelling; starting from the 90s, we start talking about “Interactive Storytelling” on the basis of some studies done on the presentation of stories on two-dimensional screens [41]. “Interactive Storytelling” means a particular storytelling technique in which the reader is an integral part of the story itself.

Unlike conventional storytelling, where the author of the book has full control over what happens in the story, in Interactive Storytelling users or readers can transform the story in real time, based on a series of interactions with the content and of choices made. The plot, in fact, is not static but varies on the basis of the choices made by the reader. When structuring an “Interactive Narration” it is necessary to take into account four fundamental elements:

  1. 1.

    The platform - in which to build the story;

  2. 2.

    The designer - who structures the story;

  3. 3.

    The interactor - who modifies the story on the basis of his choices;

  4. 4.

    The Storyworld - which includes all the characters, props, scenes and events organized by the designer for the interactor.

The designer structures the skeleton of the story on an ad hoc platform (providing the characters, external events and props), which is however experienced and influenced by the interactor. As the interactor makes his choices, various instances of the story are created. Since the interactor is the one who mainly experiences the story as it unfolds, he generally plays the role of the protagonist.

Furthermore, the choices made by the interactor can be more or less significant, changing the story significantly or imperceptibly; it follows that the degree of interaction with history also varies.

The degree of interactivity of the story can be influenced by three factors:

  • Speed: the faster the turnaround, the better the chances of interaction. This means that stakeholders can react faster and see the result of their actions faster.

  • Depth: it concerns the human similarity of the interaction. It takes into account not only simple cognitive modalities, such as hand-eye coordination or spatial reasoning, but also social reasoning, which is fundamental in these types of history.

  • The choice: which concerns both the functional meaning of the interactor’s choices, and the perceived completeness, or the number of existing choices compared to those that the interactor can imagine.

9 Limitations

Foremost, while the review attempted to identify relevant search terms, provided the searching complexity within digital storytelling topic in the past decade, the study might have unintentionally omitted keywords or synonyms utilized for digital storytelling. Therefore, the review could have missed empirical studies on this theme. Digital storytelling dates back to the 1970s. The ten-year criteria of this study might exclude significant studies regarding the practice. Therefore, it could have missed older or recently published studies on this theme. Thirdly, most studies assessed have focused on digital storytelling practices without including the cause of changes in digital storytelling over the past ten years. Lastly, there is no recognized standard for gauging the changes in digital storytelling in various fields. Instead, the studies assessed utilize practices and how they impact people and activities in their particular fields as the standard for measuring digital storytelling changes.

9.1 Implications for Digital Storytelling Practices

Individuals can benefit as much as organisations by incorporating digital storytelling practices in their daily activities. Communication, marketing, psychology, health, and education are dynamic fields and require people to engage on deep levels to be effective. Digital stories offer the potential to meet these expectations. The significance of digital storytelling is that it creates a collaborative framework, promotes effective communication, and enhances better interpersonal relationships among diverse professions.

The application of DST is no longer restricted to the educational field. The review shows that DST is adaptable to various forms of intervention to promote personal well-being [43, 44]. However, there is a lack of analyses that demonstrate this using quantitative methods.

This review highlights the necessity for additional high-quality research on the impact and usage of digital storytelling in educational, research, communication, marketing, and psychology fields.

9.2 Implications of the Review

It is evident that digital storytelling practices and models are changing. However, these practices cannot be solely relied on as the standards of measuring the changes. It should include all significant changes over the years and their impact on individuals. However, while it is impossible to adopt and establish a standard measurement approach for digital story changes, digital history workshops should promote and publish not only the changes but also the implications on people, to improve familiarity with variations.