Big topic #6: Emplotment – The skill of making sense out of stuff
Historically, the most natural form of communication is storytelling. Then came the ideals of rationality and objectiveness and banned stories to the realms of fiction. Unfortunately, storytelling is sometimes perceived as an instrument for masking reality.
However in the Google age when accessing and sharing all information is nearly free and instant, we experience information overload. As the vastness of data around us increases, the value of storytelling multiplies. It is the most natural and effective method we know for making sense of complexity and conveying it to others. In an interconnected world, many decisions depend not only on findings the right information, but the ability to synthesize it and pass it on. At Sandbox we believe in the power of storytelling: by connecting information in a narrative structure, the raw flow of data gains meaning. We call this process “emplotment” – the action of giving data an understandable plot.
We’re in a time when knowing stuff is not enough (Wikipedia does it for us). Instead, we must know how to understand and re-narrate. If you are a storyteller, this is your time.
This is one of the six big topics we feel will be important in 2010 and beyond. Have a look at the others and let us know what you think!
