I thought it would be useful for myself, and possibly others, to try to explain some of the terms and concepts which are often used interchangeably within the domain of Digital Literature.
In 1994 a group of ten academics, called ‘The New London Group’ met in the United States to design a new literacy pedagogy using multiple modes of meaning making, to better meet the learning needs of students (Multiliteracy, 2021, para. 4). As part of this new pedagogy of multiliteracies, the group defined the term modes as means of communicating. According to the group, there are five modes: visual, linguistic, aural, spatial, and gestural (Lumen Learning, n.d., para. 2).
The Australian Curriculum Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) provides a glossary of terms used within the English curriculum.
ACARA defines modes as “various processes of communication – listening, speaking, reading/viewing and writing/creating. Modes are also used to refer to the semiotic (meaning making) resources associated with these communicative processes, such as sound, print, image and gesture” (n.d., “mode”).
There are two interesting points to note here; one, that ACARA includes reading and writing as modes of communicating, whereas The New London Group uses modes to refer to the more primary bodily functions. Secondly, ACARA makes the distinction that modes can also refer to the resources used to convey the communication.
However, the term medium (plural – media) in a linguistic sense, can be used to describe the forms or means through which communication (modes) are represented (Lumen Learning, n.d., para. 3). For example, the visual mode can be represented through the medium of a photograph. ACARA, similar defines medium as “a resource used in the production of texts, including tools and materials used (for example, digital text and a computer, writing and a pen or a typewriter)” (n.d., “medium”).
Therefore, it follows logically that multimodal texts are those that utilise more than one mode of communication to convey meaning (Figure 1). ACARA defines multimodal texts as those that use two or more modes of communication (n.d., “multimodal text”).
So how does multimedia fit into all of this?
Kevin Moloney, author of the Blog Transmedia Storytelling, wrote a blog post titled Multimedia, Crossmedia, Transmedia… What’s in a name? where he explains the nuanced differences between the terms (2014).
To summarise, he explains that the three concepts differ in their use of the term media. Media can refer to the forms a story uses such as photographs, motion pictures, illustrations, and text to name a few. These forms are then reproduced through a media channel. Media channels include the internet, lectures, gaming devices, mobile apps and so on.
This distinction enables the term Multimedia to be defined. Multimedia, he writes, is a now aging term used to define those texts who use multiple media forms to tell the story, into one channel. These can include news websites using images, videos, and text to recount an event. There are many media forms at work here, yet they are all used to tell one story, through one channel; the webpage (Figure 2).
The term Crossmedia, he continues, is one mainly used in the advertising industry to refer to one story told through many channels.
Finally, he explains the term Transmedia uses many forms and many channels to create many stories. However, these stories, each complete in their own right, work together to create one story world, and in doing so, deepen an audience’s engagement and understanding of the subject at hand.
The term Transmedia and its use in Digital Literature
Transmedia Storytelling has a rich and complex history in itself. From a Digital Literature and education standpoint, Transmedia Storytelling can be used to describe a kind of digital reading environment involving “a multimodal, multimedia story with non-linear participatory elements.” The main storyline may occur over many resources including both traditional print resources and online platforms (Lamb, 2011, p. 15). These ‘texts’ or experiences have almost limitless potential to expand the reading experience and provide an immersive world for learners to connect deeply to literature.
Whilst the boundaries between these concepts may be blurred, each has its own distinct advantages and the possibilities for different combinations of modes and media allows for a seemingly limitless future in Digital Literature.
References
Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority. (n.d.) Glossary. https://www.australiancurriculum.edu.au/f-10-curriculum/english/glossary/
Knight, C. (n.d.) Introduction to Multimedia [Slideshow]. SlidePlayer. https://slideplayer.com/slide/5811114/19/images/3/Definition+of+Multimedia.jpg
Lamb, A. (2011). Reading redefined for a transmedia universe. Learning and leading with technology, 39(3), 12-17.
Lumen Learning. (n.d.). The Five Modes. Retrieved August 5, 2021 from https://courses.lumenlearning.com/englishcomp1/chapter/the-five-modes/#return-footnote-155-1
Moloney, K. (2014, April 21). Multimedia, Crossmedia, Transmedia… What’s in a name? Transmedia Journalism. https://transmediajournalism.org/2014/04/21/multimedia-crossmedia-transmedia-whats-in-a-name/
Multiliteracy. (2021, January 13). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Multiliteracy&oldid=1000151332