The Brief Evolution of Storytelling

Storytelling is unique to us humans for thousands of years. Now, more than ever, we have many different ways of sharing experiences and ideas. It defines us, it helps us understand ourselves, and our behavior.

However, how we tell our story depends on the technology we have. There is a big difference between a story told through a cave drawing or a story published on a website across the net. At a core, it doesn't matter because storytelling is essential to our life, whether the story is passed down through oral tradition, printed books, cave drawings, or digital media. Stories can be found in every human society as legends, fairytales, and myths. We crave stories, they are a part of our human desires. The storytelling methods have transformed from visual to oral to written and to digital storytelling.

Visual storytelling originated with cave drawings dated to over 60 000 years in the Iberian peninsula. The most famous and popular examples are drawings and paintings from caves in France, Egyptian pyramids, and ancient Greek pottery.

Photography and film are new methods of visual storytelling. An adaptive art form that is available to most of people today. Taking selfies has become a new way of communication, binging TV series and movies are just a click away.

We don't know exactly when we started telling stories, but it definitely is one of the oldest forms of storytelling. Language is defining human characteristic which separates us from other species. The origin of speech is roughly estimated around two million years ago. Songs, poetry, and myths were handed down from generation to generation. Communication was between the individuals. But with the invention of the radio, that changed dramatically. You could address an audience without them being physically present.

Because of Youtube videos, podcasts, and social media statuses we have nonstop access to intimate stories of strangers, people we don't know. Stories that were usually shared between family and friends in the past are now publicly available. Therefore, interaction among people has changed, and the way we process information has changed also.

The invention of paper in China had a massive effect on storytelling. It led to the development of books and art. People could combine illustrations and words together and share them with others easily. The real game-changer was the invention of the printing press in the 15th century. Gradually, the written word was more accessible. Libraries and archives were full of novels, articles, journals; basically, written stories became crucial to our modern society.

Today, storytelling has evolved into digital storytelling. It is used in advertising, sales, education, and entertainment. We still write and draw of course, but not so much with a pencil and paper. Today, we text more than we write. Social media has become a trend for sharing stories, interacting with other people, and expressing opinions. Stories are much shorter. It is all about grabbing the audience's attention, and it is a fundamental instrument for modern companies and businesses. Digital marketing today is the latest transformation of storytelling. Sharing is everything.

Over time the forms of storytelling have changed, but the significance of stories is the same. Stories are a part of our human nature, they are a tool for how we connect with others, they help us make sense of the world. A really good story puts things in perspective for us, it gives us meaning, literally, it can transform our life. Search for meaning is a deeply human feature. Stories help us remember the past and guide us towards the future.