FROM ORAL TRADITIONS TO DIGITAL STORYTELLING: EVOLUTION, CONTINUITY, AND TRANSFORMATION

Abstract

Storytelling is a foundational human practice that predates writing and formal systems of communication. Originating in oral traditions, stories functioned as primary mechanisms for transmitting cultural memory, social values, and collective identity within communities. With the development of writing systems and print technology, storytelling evolved into textual and literary forms that expanded preservation and accessibility. In the contemporary era, digital technologies have further transformed narrative practices through multimedia integration, interactivity, and global dissemination. This chapter critically examines the historical progression of storytelling from oral person-to-person transmission to print culture and finally to digital platforms. Drawing upon recent scholarship, it explores how storytelling has continuously adapted to technological environments while retaining its essential communicative functions. The chapter argues that digital storytelling does not replace oral tradition but represents an adaptive reconfiguration shaped by media convergence, participatory culture, and emerging technologies.