What is transmedia storytelling?

Transmedia storytelling, as described by Henry Jenkins, is the conveyance of media messages across various media channels, allowing for more points of entry for the consumer to become involved in the message (Jenkins, 2007). Jenkins describes how a movie like the Matrix can benefit from transmedia storytelling as publicity for the franchise is created through using various channels of communication to spread the media message. Mark Deuze (2007) describes this use of transmedia storytelling as a deliberate attempt by media conglomerates to extend their franchises, explaining that convergence culture allows for large corporations to “seek new ways to intensify customer relationships, and cultivate consumer loyalties by captivating people’s media use across multiple platforms at the same time.” By increasing the number of platforms through which people can create and consume their media, corporate conglomerates aim for more intense consumer loyalty and usage. As media conglomerates integrate horizontally, they enable themselves to extend their brands- be it a movie or television show- over the various media channels which the companies themselves own. This enables such companies to strengthen their social influence in our mediated environment.

Deuze, M. (2007). Media work. Polity Books.

Jenkins, H. (2007). Transmedia storytelling 101. Retrieved March 4, 2008, from http://henryjenkins.org/2007/03/transmedia_storytelling_101.html#more