INTERACTIVE ASIA Mapping, productive practices, and visual languages in WDIs
In this chapter, we map and analyze Interactive Web Documentaries (WDIs) produced in seven Asian countries between 2008 and 2023. Using a qualitative and exploratory methodology, supported by content analysis (Bardin, 2011), we examined 28 works, focusing on identifying production patterns, the complexity of design systems, navigation flows, the predominant aesthetics, and the visual languages employed. This approach aligns with the definition of the WDI field proposed by Aston and Gaudenzi (2012), as well as with the formulations by Gaudenzi (2013) and Manovich (2001) regarding the logic of interactivity and database organization. The results indicate a predominance of themes related to historical memory, rapid urbanization, cultural identity, environmental issues, and migratory dynamics. It was also observed that approximately 45% of the works analyzed incorporate elements of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), in line with discussions on agency, immersion, and transformation in digital narrative (Murray, 1997), presence and immersion in VR documentary narratives (Shin, 2018) and the relationships between audience participation and media convergence cultures (Jenkins, 2006; Nash, 2012). The comparative analysis with contemporary Euro-American productions highlights specificities of the Asian context related to cultural and social practices, as well as the adoption of digital platforms and interactive features. In this sense, the study engages with research on the production of interactive web documentaries in Asia (Kim, 2018) and with analyses of cultural identity and digital media in East Asia (Choi, 2020), in addition to considering contributions by Norman (2013) on user-centered design and by Milk (2015) on VR as a device for empathy. The study contributes to the systematization of knowledge regarding the production of WDIs in Asia and to the debate on non-linear and participatory narrative in the field of WDI.
INTERACTIVE ASIA Mapping, productive practices, and visual languages in WDIs
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.5157282602049
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Palavras-chave: Interactive Web Documentary; Asia; Interactive Narrative; Digital Media; User Experience.
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Keywords: Interactive Web Documentary; Asia; Interactive Narrative; Digital Media; User Experience.
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Abstract:
In this chapter, we map and analyze Interactive Web Documentaries (WDIs) produced in seven Asian countries between 2008 and 2023. Using a qualitative and exploratory methodology, supported by content analysis (Bardin, 2011), we examined 28 works, focusing on identifying production patterns, the complexity of design systems, navigation flows, the predominant aesthetics, and the visual languages employed. This approach aligns with the definition of the WDI field proposed by Aston and Gaudenzi (2012), as well as with the formulations by Gaudenzi (2013) and Manovich (2001) regarding the logic of interactivity and database organization. The results indicate a predominance of themes related to historical memory, rapid urbanization, cultural identity, environmental issues, and migratory dynamics. It was also observed that approximately 45% of the works analyzed incorporate elements of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), in line with discussions on agency, immersion, and transformation in digital narrative (Murray, 1997), presence and immersion in VR documentary narratives (Shin, 2018) and the relationships between audience participation and media convergence cultures (Jenkins, 2006; Nash, 2012). The comparative analysis with contemporary Euro-American productions highlights specificities of the Asian context related to cultural and social practices, as well as the adoption of digital platforms and interactive features. In this sense, the study engages with research on the production of interactive web documentaries in Asia (Kim, 2018) and with analyses of cultural identity and digital media in East Asia (Choi, 2020), in addition to considering contributions by Norman (2013) on user-centered design and by Milk (2015) on VR as a device for empathy. The study contributes to the systematization of knowledge regarding the production of WDIs in Asia and to the debate on non-linear and participatory narrative in the field of WDI.
- Alexandre Torresani de Lara
