Storytelling On Steroids Book Report

“In this book, I explore why: Where did all this storytelling come from? Why are we suddenly so eager to spread the storytelling gospel? And who blazed the trail for an Age of Storytelling in mainstream communication?”(5). This is an excerpt quote from Storytelling on Steroids by John Weich which I thought is the core of what this book explores and intends to do. Through this review I plan to include anything that caught my attention. Most of these were things I knew unconsciously but never took the time to further develop these thoughts. First, John addresses that although this may seem like a new ideal , it is not. It is something that has been happening over the centuries. What we are seeking though is to know why it’s so important in this day and age, and how it expanded so much that anybody can write “storyteller” on a profile. He explains that this is because storytelling is something that is instilled within us ,
something we know how to do and feel. The challenges with this though, is that now as “storytellers” we must make pieces that are relatable to all and that people can spend little time to comprehend. Which to me is a disadvantage because in a way it doesn’t allow for full expression of what the person is trying to say , also those who are reading it aren’t getting much out of it. This is because like the author states , Storytelling is Everywhere. This aspect reminded me of how in class we mentioned that advertisements are everywhere. He doesn’t point to a specific brand that changed the storytelling game , yet explains that it came with all of these technologies. In which the most important reality is the readers are able to interact with the story and have more fun with. People are able to interact with these stories because the authors understand the need to provide a realistic story to their media. For example , shows like the Simpsons and Roseanne where relatable to many as it showed the living of a middle class family. In music, what became the story to tell where rappers emerging and becoming famous stars. With a special focus on the explanation of life on the streets. In our own lives we provide this , by writing what happens in our social media accounts. The emergence of technology is not a bad one though because it has expanded our ability to move past those “Happily Ever After” stories from Disney. We are more challenged to accept other endings even if they’re not necessarily happy. Of the the ten stories Weich touched on, TED intrigued me the most. I have many courses and seminars that I have attended that use TED talks as their sources. I asked myself why we use TED so oftenly. I didn’t mind it because most times I was inspired or had something to take away from that video. Well, Weich tells us that we are so intrigued by these stories because
“Important people have important stories to tell”(81). I believe that this is true because as a viewer I am more intrigued to listen when I know this is an experienced individual. While , TED really encompasses the telling personal stories it is also way too cosmetic. There is an audience, and you are there to entertain an audience , not just by your story but little snippets,quotes that will have their attention longer. Like in class , I learned a lot from this book. I believe this book covered all of our course objectives but mostly , “To apply digital media strategy in the context of storytelling and content creation, and relate ways to measure impact. “ I feel as though this book gave me insight on the current themes that are still happening around me. Specifically to Weich’s point of humans not being rational but emotional. I believe this is the true entitiy of what storytelling and content creation is. To make something that creates a relatable thought to those viewing. To make something compelling that people can relate to. For example, like we mentioned in class , the Coca Cola advertisements. Pushing for the message of happiness. This is also explained in Weich’s book with his example of Jay Z. I believe this has made the most impact because it is still a story that we use today and every time it is used in any medium people fall for it and engage as if it were a new trend. Which leads me to a major aspect of our class in which content becomes king. Something our course and Weich’s book had in common was the imperative that their is to make something relatable and of a popular theme that is already present. Which can also relate to Potter’s point that we are limited to what we can write or tell because of the many regulations there are to follow.

So like TED talks are “vegan candy” to our brains and Coca Cola instills happiness within us , this book shows us things that we constantly overlook.
I would recommend this book to anybody because it was very captivating. When I first picked up the book I was only eager to read more. Oddly, enough I came in with the intention of finding out what the popular brands were using as ways to storytelling and captivating our attention. By just reading that so many people use the title “storyteller” seemed odd and unjustifiable to me. But after finding out that storytelling is something within us that we do by just writing a post on Facebook. The ten stories I believe were well chosen and easily relatable. I believe most people have seen or at least heard of the stories he mentions. I think the way he went about decoding these stories was done in a successful way because he showed the good and the bad which helped make his argument more truthful which is something he ironically states, that we as humans love stories that seem realistic and
truthful.