Expanding temporal and participative digital horizons through web documentaries for social change

Abstract

Recent forays into online and participatory social documentaries like QuestionBridge or Immigrant Nation are offering alternative temporal conceptions and participative processes compared to what other media activism does using social networks. These projects propose reiterative dialogues, where media time consumptions expand and differ from Internet standards, fostering long-term temporal horizons. Starting with the timescapes conceptual framework as a theoretical background, we will analyse two interactive documentaries as key examples of the new possibilities these platforms or storyspaces (places for sharing stories) bring about, where participants can share, exchange and contribute to the dialogue of relevant issues through a more multi-layered personal experience.