# Networked narrative

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A **networked narrative**, also known as a **network narrative** or **distributed narrative**, is a language partitioned across a network of interconnected authors, access points, and/or discrete [threads](/source/Narrative_thread). It is not driven by the specificity of details; rather, details emerge through a co-construction of the ultimate story by the various participants or elements. It does help the user to study a topic better.

## Networked narratives as decentralized stories

Networked narratives can be seen as being defined by their rejection of narrative unity.[1] As a consequence, such narratives escape the constraints of centralized authorship, distribution, and storytelling. One of the most visible forms of networked narrative has been the [alternate reality game](/source/Alternate_reality_game), an interactive scenario that is experienced through multiple channels and adapts to player behavior. Additionally, networked narratives have been represented in [films](/source/Film) such as [Crash](/source/Crash_(2004_film)) and [Syriana](/source/Syriana) through highly decentralized, threaded plots.[2]

## Networked narratives as social movements

Marco Deseriis breaks down networked narratives in three central functions: denotative, performing, and pragmatic.[3] He claims that socially-created networked narratives:

1. Represent an initially unsolved conflict, dilemma, or other situation. 2. Invite viewers to perform a role in the story. 3. Are oriented around a system of beliefs or ethics that resonates with participants and allows them to create new stories.

[Internet activism](/source/Internet_activism), [hacktivism](/source/Hacktivism), and the [free software movement](/source/Free_software_movement) are principal examples of such narratives in practice. While adherents to these movements tend to share a common ethos, there is no central authority - the direction of the narrative hinges on its participants.

## Notes

1. Walker, Jill (21 September 2004). [*Distributed Narrative: Telling Stories Across Networks*](http://jilltxt.net/txt/AoIR-distributednarrative.pdf). Association of Internet Researchers - Internet Research 5.0. Retrieved 23 April 2013.

1. Beal, Wesley & Lavin, Stacy (17 May 2011). ["Theorizing Connectivity: Modernism and the Network Narrative"](http://www.digitalhumanities.org/dhq/vol/5/2/000097/000097.html). *Digital Humanities Quarterly*. **5** (2). Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations. [ISSN 1938-4122](https://www.worldcat.org/issn/1938-4122). Retrieved 23 April 2013.

1. Deseriis, Marco (January 2011). ["Online Activism as a Participatory Form of Storytelling"](https://www.academia.edu/1949290). *Art and Activism in the Age of Globalization*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240817150819/https://www.academia.edu/1949290) 17 August 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 23 April 2013.

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Networked narrative](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Networked_narrative) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Networked_narrative?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.