Filipe the Dinosaur
Storytelling through Social Media
Storytelling through Social Media
I have a natural ability and habit of giving human characteristics to inanimate objects. I also love storytelling and have a soft spot for dinosaurs. Thus, when I found a toy dinosaur at the start of finals week last semester, he was quickly named and a personality began forming. During the week, when I needed a break from the stress of studying and writing, I would photograph him doing various activities and post to Facebook. Filipe quickly became a sensation among my friends for his quirky antics and rambunctious attitude, as well as his very skewed world view. He ended up being the star of one of my final projects for my class on Processing, a java-based coding program.
Filipe's larger than life personality required more than just a Facebook album and in January 2012, Filipe started blogging. The blog has random anecdotal posts as well as running story arcs, repeat characters and special events. For example, during my spring break I drove across Pennsylvania back to New York with my good friend Claire. Filipe liveblogged during the trip:
Filipe's larger than life personality required more than just a Facebook album and in January 2012, Filipe started blogging. The blog has random anecdotal posts as well as running story arcs, repeat characters and special events. For example, during my spring break I drove across Pennsylvania back to New York with my good friend Claire. Filipe liveblogged during the trip:
Sam and Claire are driving to New York! Filipe is getting bored
Filipe demands attention at all times.
Claire just wants to pump gas in peace.
Filipe asks if he can ride on the roof. Sam asks if he likes living.
Timothy’s coming too! He’s a little scared of Claire’s fighting dashboard ninjas.
…filipe’s not.
Apparently Filipe is hungry.
Sam informs Filipe they have wonderful snacks, like cheese its. Filipe is appeased. Timothy is relieved.
Sam tries to convince Filipe to use the seatbelt. She quickly realizes this was a mistake.
Sam finds a better spot for Filipe. Filipe feels menacing from here.
Filipe's site was recently made over to include large, focused photos, captions with high readability and visible tags.
New sections to the blog include features like a FAQ and section on Filipe's friends to help newcomers engage with the story. Both pages are full of links that help readers catch up and explore the site.
Filipe's character constantly grows and develops as the blog continues, as well as the secondary characters. Many storylines are devoted to Filipe's love interests, his obsession with Batman and his narcissist attempts at world domination.
The blog and the photographs have offered me a unique way to explore storytelling in the digital age. A story no longer has to be a linear path, but can have multiple lines occurring and developing in real time. Filipe recently moved onto Facebook and Twitter and through these platforms I am expanding and generating new levels to his interactive story. He is not simply a character people read about, they are able to interact with him in realtime and in unexpected ways, such as his random decision to jump in on Facebook conversations of his friends.
(His friends are forewarned before friending him that Filipe has no filter on Facebook and apologizes for nothing)
The blog and the photographs have offered me a unique way to explore storytelling in the digital age. A story no longer has to be a linear path, but can have multiple lines occurring and developing in real time. Filipe recently moved onto Facebook and Twitter and through these platforms I am expanding and generating new levels to his interactive story. He is not simply a character people read about, they are able to interact with him in realtime and in unexpected ways, such as his random decision to jump in on Facebook conversations of his friends.
(His friends are forewarned before friending him that Filipe has no filter on Facebook and apologizes for nothing)
