Is Storytelling Important?
Before we can ask the question “is storytelling important”, we need to define what a “story” is. The dictionary definition of a story includes the following descriptions:
an account of incidents or events
a statement regarding the facts pertinent to a situation in question
a fictional narrative shorter than a novel
the intrigue or plot of a narrative or dramatic work
a widely circulated rumor
a lie or falsehood
a news article or broadcast (1)
A story, when the idea is pulled apart at the seams, is simply a method of communicating information. True information, false information, information presented obviously, or information presented under a layer of fiction or symbolism, the type of information really does not matter. All of it can be conveyed by a story.
Stories provide one important aspect to information: context. Regardless of whether or not that context has any real bearing on the information itself, it is going to influence how the audience interprets what is being said. The news does this all the time with articles to change the way the readers interpret the information they are being given.
Take, for example, a string of car thefts in an area of the town you currently live in. If you weren’t or don’t know anyone who was personally affected by this situation, it is probably just going to become another statistic. You might avoid that area of town for a little while, but otherwise it isn’t going to make much of an impact on your life.
Now, the news addresses the string of car thefts, but this time interviews one of the victims, asking them to tell their story. The statistic now has a face, a human life attached to it. No longer is it this nebulous idea of stolen cars, this particular person had their life altered or even ruined by the fact that their car was stolen. The information now has a story that wiggles its way into the psychology of the audience. There is a clearly defined good and evil where there was just an interesting — and possibly annoying — tidbit of information.
The context of information changes again when one of the criminals is caught and interviewed by the news agency to present their side of the story. They are repentant, explaining that they had lost their job, and this was the only way they could afford their kid’s medical bills. You may still condemn them for resorting to car theft, but once again the information is no longer just a statistic. There is a human being behind what happened, and that story is going to shape how you react to the relatively straightforward information of “string of car thefts in area”.
This is why storytelling is important. It conveys more than just pure, distilled information could. It shapes, molds, manipulates, and presents the context around the information to add emphasis, to make a point, or to sway the audience to one side or another. This is not a bad thing, as stories are part of the way we, as humans, communicate and connect with one another. It is integral to our lives and how we build not just our identities as individuals, but also our cultural identities. They are how we decide who is on “our” side and who is not. Who we agree with and who we do not. They are how we learn morality, ethics, manners, and even how to think.
Stories (and art in general) are in many ways as significant to a culture as sails are to a ship. They drive culture towards its destination, fueling its journey across time. Stories do this by binding together people who would ultimately have little in common. Think of how many children’s stories are cautionary tales about the importance of listening to one’s parents or not wandering into the dark forest at night. These stories, introduced to children while they were young, shaped their perception of obedience and presented consequences for disobedience or foolishness. It also bound them together as a common element they could all relate to:
“Did your mom read you that story as a kid?”
“Yes, she did! It was terrifying! But it taught me not to wander into the dark forest.”
“Same. I never want to wander into the dark forest!”
Stories get under our defenses and leave pieces of themselves behind, for good or evil. Have you ever seen someone’s personality completely change when they started a new piece of media (especially a long-running one)? Where they start taking on the personality traits of the characters, or adopting some of the philosophies of the story’s world? That is a very blatant example of what is usually a very subtle process. Stories typically don’t influence people quite so dramatically, but no one is completely immune to their influence.
So, in summary: yes, storytelling is, most certainly, important. It, ultimately, helps us build us!
