On the Role of Empathy in Innovative Forms of Digital Storytelling in Digital Transformation of GLAM sector during in the COVID19 era

Digital Storytelling (DS) is an important means of communication increasingly popular in multiple academic fields as well as in the digital cultural sector. DS especially supports socially disadvantaged and minority voices by offering them a space in expressing themselves as well as promoting cultural diversity and identity development through its interactive and dynamic features.  Several innovative forms and formats of DS have been recently practiced by cultural institutions and analysed by Europeana from the standpoint of their impact on enrichment of their respective User Experience, including the emotional pathways and impact.

Digital divide in Europe has significantly increased since the start of COVID19 pandemic while making it difficult for public to orient themselves in the world of information without solid media literacy skills, especially given growing rate of social radicalisation driven by rising social inequality and unprecedented pressures on human rights. Therefore empathy, being an integral part of Emotional Intelligence, seems to be become especially valued characteristic in the emotional part of User Experience in DS.

There has been a certain lack of attention from the side of the innovative digital technology developers of DS on the importance of the emotional part of the DS User Experience. Likewise, involvement of the GLAM institutions in a long-term policy debate regarding open copyrights slows down growth and diversity of the DS content narrowing impact analysis of the DS User experience to institutional visibility in the field. The presentation will be considering multiple advantages empathy in emotionally rich User Experience in DS could offer audiences of as well as cultural institutions (GLAMs) in the digital heritage sector, and then emphasize the long-term impact of such user experience on bridging digital divide and improving media literacy skills.