See a photo of Lisa, her bio, Part 1 of this Q&A, Part 2.
Q&A with Lisa Bloom, Question 3:
Q: The storytelling movement seems to be growing explosively. Why now? What is it about this moment in human history and culture that makes storytelling so resonant with so many people right now?
A: I believe that there are several reasons for the explosive growth of storytelling. Here are the ones that I feel are most relevant:
Community: There has been a breakdown of traditional communities in most cultures. As a result, not only are people isolated socially, they are also lacking the access to the traditional lessons that were taught through community interaction. They have less opportunity to understand value systems that traditionally were taught through communities. Storytelling brings back that sense of community, values and a context in which they can be practiced. The stories communicate how people used to live and the lessons that were taught in the community setting. t is an access to the way the world used to be and the way people lived in that world; and it is welcomed by so many isolated individuals that crave the warmth, safety and clarity of values that a community can offer.
Technology: Nowadays, we are inundated with technology; and this allows us vast amounts of information that need to be deciphered and choices that need to be made. This unlimited supply of information becomes very confusing and quite overwhelming. As a result people have begun to crave the simplicity of the story. The simple story brings us back to a place of comfort (sometimes as a reminder of childhood) where things were clear. The choices are limited, the world within the story is familiar and predictable and the overall experience is safe and comforting.
What is interesting is that technology has also become a storytelling tool; so it is both the source of confusion and isolation while delivering the remedy to this problem through digital and technology enhanced story experiences.
The “Trust” Issue: Over the last few years, there has been major breaches of public trust, particularly in the area of personal finances, general economic solidity and the church. When your life long savings suddenly become worthless because someone else has been greedy and untruthful; when the nation’s financial institutions are threatening to collapse; when the church’s leading figures are accused of causing unspeakable harm to helpless community members (particularly children), you’ve got to wonder who you can trust. In this light of this major trust issue, the person who tells a story that you can believe in goes a long way to repairing faith and trust. I believe that as a result of these major breaches in trust, people crave stories that they can hear and instinctively believe in. When we don’t know who to trust, it is a relief to “believe” someone’s story; this is one of the main reasons that storytelling resonates so much for people at this present time in history.