21st century stories

1 Our lives are full of stories. Stories we have been told, stories we have heard, stories we have
invented, and stories we have experienced ourselves. The truth is human beings have been keeping
their memories in different ways since the beginning of time. From paintings on cave walls in prehistoric
times, to photographs which help us keep our memories alive, we have always managed to keep stories
and experiences with us somehow. Nowadays, we live in the world of social media, so new ways of
keeping memories and telling stories have been created, and our children use Instagram and Pinterest
instead.

2 The way we tell stories can also change from culture to culture. Even if the same story is being told,
different cultural rules lead to different traditions and views. However, there is one trend that is
affecting the way stories are told around the world, and that is virtual reality. It is important to mention
that stories could also be those told by businesses to connect with their customers, since people are
generally interested in the story behind a product or company. Therefore, virtual reality can provide
businesses with an opportunity to show their customers how their products are made, take them on a
tour around their showroom, factories or offices, and get to know the team behind the scenes. All of this
leads to customer loyalty, as clients feel they "know" the company; they feel part of it.

3 Virtual reality is no longer a futuristic idea, and even though we may not yet see this technology in
every house, people are starting to be curious about it and many have already bought their own
"goggles" in order to enjoy it at home. Digital technology offers artists a wide variety of platforms which
they can use to tell their stories. So instead of using pen and paper, they use coding as their main tool,
as this allows them to make their dreams come true and for the stories they imagined to be seen by
others in a really accurate and realistic way. Its attractiveness comes from the fact that virtual
technology allows us to experience the story. We are no longer passive watchers but active participants.
We are now taken into the world of the characters we used to see from a distance and can actually
interact with them in such a way stories become real and we get to experience these ourselves.

4 While in the past media used to consist of two dimensions, nowadays virtual reality allows it to be
immersive, which means we can actually feel like we are part of it, therefore being much more realistic.
Immersion means feeling that we are actually present in the place the story develops, and this involves
active participation rather than passive watching. But can we really make decisions and make stories our
own? Artists make us feel we are actually making decisions and use a variety of tricks for this process to
feel natural. However, even though we can choose certain things, the main parts and the ending have
been planned in advance.

5 Of course this new approach to storytelling has meant those in charge of the process have had to
change their practices and learn about new technologies such as virtual reality, as well as different tools
and methods of exchanging information with users in order to create content together. As a result the
stress has moved from great storylines to great characters which are rich enough to create different
stories and allow users to choose from different options as they advance. As for businesses, virtual
reality now allows companies to get closer to customers, offering them the possibility to try their
products, see how they are made, and also how the business itself is run, all of which can be done
without moving from their homes.
6 The art of the storyteller is still alive, though it has taken different forms, virtual reality being a tool
that can be used in order to take stories a step further. Of course this still needs to be improved and
developed, but this technology can transform storytelling as we know it.

7 Some have seen these new possibilities as negative, many people disliking the new technology
because they believe it can result in isolation, especially since many people will prefer to live in this
virtual reality world rather than live their own real life. However, experts say that the same was once
thought of television, and this new technology is actually valuable, as it allows users to explore different
options and develop empathy, which is understood as "the feeling that you understand and share
another person's experiences and feelings; the ability to share someone else's feelings."

8 So far, movies have proven to produce the most empathy, as these allow the audience to understand
a character's feelings and opinions and live in their shoes for a while. In virtual reality, however,
participants do not have to imagine how the character is feeling, they can actually feel it themselves.

9 Of course not every story can be told with virtual reality, and storytellers need to make the right
choices for the result to be successful. It is also worth mentioning that virtual reality is not always better
than television, or movies; just as movies are not always better than a theater play. These are just
different ways to tell stories. However, there are reasons to be excited about these new developments,
and only time will tell whether they end up being successful or not.

Task 1: Match the sentences halves

New ways of telling stories are

The way stories are told depends

Virtual reality is

Using virtual reality for business

Many people don't like virtual reality because

a. changing the way stories are told.

b. it can make individuals less social.
c. can result in increased customer loyalty.
d. constantly being created.
e. on the culture and its characteristics.

Task 2 : Decide the sentences are facts or assumptions

From paintings on cave walls in prehistoric times, to photographs which help us keep our memories
alive, we have always managed to keep stories and experiences with us somehow. __________

Its attractiveness comes from the fact that virtual technology allows us to experience the story.
__________
As for businesses, virtual reality now allows companies to get closer to customers, offering them the
possibility to try their products, see how they are made, and also how the business itself is run, all of this
without moving from their homes. __________

It is also worth mentioning that virtual reality is not always better than television, or movies; just as
movies are not always better than a theater play. __________

Task 3: Complete the sentences

There is no doubt stories are part of our __________ and the way these are told changes from culture to
__________. However, __________ is changing the essence of stories, which are now more

realistic. We can now become __________ and make decisions, which means that rather than being
passive watchers, we get to __________ the story ourselves.