數位時代的「敘事傳播」：兼論新科技對傳播學術思潮的可能影響

Narrative Communication in Digital Era: Impact from New Technologies upon Communication Industry and Academics

「敘事論」在此21世紀之初業已成為跨學門的後起之秀，除依傳統學理瞭解其所包含之「故事」與「論述」要素外，猶須注意互動圖文及影音符號正以數位形式在現實與虛擬時空進行超文本連結。本文因而認為，數位時代的敘事傳播觀點可依下述理解：一、敘事之跨界移動及流變能力愈來愈強；二、傳播與敘事理論多元並交錯應用；三、非線性傳播之敘事複雜系統興起；四、敘事傳播行為乃理性與情感並重；五、文化壟斷及碎片化敘事現象同存互參。

It has been a new perspective to study communication by using alternative theories of narrative, and therefore connections among text, picture and sound are receiving greater attentions from researchers to examine communication behaviors across different media. In the meantime, the rising concept of “digital narrative” has reminded us that even the term of “narrative,” which has been well-known for its interdisciplinary characters, faces dramatic and revolutionary challenge that would force researchers to reconsider its real forms in the new age during the first era of the 21st Century. In order to explain the new challenges ahead, this study proposes the following principles which would be helpful to understand the real world after we apply narrative theories to study communication. First, narrative can be adopted to explain communication behaviors across different media. Second, both theories of narrative and communication are now fitting each other better than any time before. Third, narrative itself has turned into being a nonlinear complex system. Fourth, both reasoning and emotion are included in narrative communicative behaviors. And finally, cultural monopoly and fragmentation are easy to be detected in narrative communication.