Storyhackers

Hack the story, change the world

Humanity as a whole has never had it as good as we have it now, yet the gap between those who have and those who do not grows wider every day. This contradiction presents us with a huge dilemma: the source of our progress has become the source of our downfall, and existing ways of doing things no longer work.

Yet our narratives are still the same: economic growth is essential, heterosexual relationships are the preferred norm, and privacy is dead. These dominant narratives prevent us from making the changes that will enable us to live together sustainably and inclusively, and so we need new stories to effect change. You will create these stories in this challenge.

You will work on a range of social issues by identifying the dominant narratives, and you will hack them by developing counter narratives and tell the alternative stories that exist but are never heard. You will use innovative media technologies such as augmented and virtual reality to increase the impact of your stories, choosing the appropriate storytellers and channels to make sure your stories are heard.

This challenge will give you the opportunity to grow as a counter-storyteller. You will constantly ask yourself how you can help put the today’s social challenges on the agenda and move them forward.  However good things may be now, they can no longer be maintained if left unchanged.

Use your voice to raise a [societal issue X] by hacking current dominant narratives through the creation and telling of a provocative counter narrative using innovative media and effective impact strategy directed at [target group X].

Expertise:

• Narrative and discourse analysis
• Storytelling
• Futuring
• Impact research and ethics
• Concepting

In this stone, you’ll create this media: