‘Telling stories’ as a central motif of historical science has always contributed to the constitution of societies, their identity and cultural heritage. New technologies influence the way history is researched, communicated and told today. Digital storytelling can be used to encourage people to record their perspectives on history and stories independently. This is also the aim of the three-year project ‘Hi-Story – Make your History’, initiated by the EU consortium as part of the AAL (Active Assisted Living) programme, in which the AIT Center for Technology Experience is playing a major role.
You can find out more about this topic in the APA-Science dossier:
https://science.apa.at/dossier/Digital_Geschichte_n_erzaehlen/SCI_20200130_SCI85456051452918474
About the project
The HiStory project uses the concept of storytelling as a means of promoting social integration, cognitive activity and subjective well-being in older people. The project aims to create a solution that enables people to tell, share and consume personal stories, creating a unifying shared experience. Sharing biographical-historical knowledge should help to ensure that older people can engage in meaningful activities and volunteer work in the fields of tourism, education and culture, thereby promoting their well-being and social inclusion. A mobile app is being developed for this purpose, which allows personal stories to be recorded and stored, as well as enabling stories to be accessed and shared with other users. ‘This can be done, for example, through storytelling and discussion groups, discussion groups, neighbourhood initiatives, etc., in the context of which the storytelling takes place,’ says AIT project manager Stephanie Schwarz. An online tool is also available for searching, editing, tagging and compiling stories on various topics. This should make stories accessible for various applications, such as for use in museum exhibitions, organised city tours or teaching units in schools. In this regard, the project is also working with the Wien Museum in Austria.
AIT contact: Stephanie Schwarz