From Awareness to Actions: IDNs for Transformative Change
Workshop

We are living in a time marked by profound global disruption and complexity, much of it caused by human actions. Addressing these interconnected crises requires transformative change. Interactive Digital Narrative (IDN) presents a promising paradigm in this regard. Nonetheless, additional effort should be made to create IDNs that help people move from awareness to action, considering ethics, ecological resilience, technology, and social equity. In this 3-hour hybrid hands-on workshop, we will discuss some strategies for creating IDNs for transformative change, engaging participants in reflecting on open issues and challenges. Participants will engage in iterative ideations to come up with ideas for transformative IDNs.

This workshop aims at investigating the potential of IDNs to foster not just awareness, but meaningful action around urgent societal issues such as climate change, war, artificial intelligence, and civic involvement. We will also draw on thinkers like de Meyer, who emphasize the importance of moving beyond emotional activation to sustained engagement and real-world transformation.

Participants will engage in discourse about what transformation actually means in the context of IDNs, and where its boundaries lie. Through hands-on ideation and iteration, we will experiment with strategies for designing IDNs that aim to make a difference: from concept to potential impact. We will reflect on which technologies or formats work best in bridging the gap between knowing and doing, including a critical look at the promise and limitations of each format (e.g., VR as “empathy machine”).

The workshop will be hybrid, with participants in the room doing ideation using analogue tools such as pens, flipchart paper and record cards, while online participants will be working with MIRO with similar digital materials.