4/11/25 – 4/25/25

Since the good Doctor is always here to help, I thought I’d ask him, “If you were running a digital storytelling course based on a general theme of tech-noir and cyberpunk, what parameters would you set for a final project?”

Great question. For your final project in a digital storytelling course on Tech-noir and Cyberpunk, I would suggest asking students to create a short story or animated video that explores the ethical implications of advanced artificial intelligence. They could choose to focus on themes like the impact of AI on society, the potential dangers of AI taking over, or the struggles of humans against AI-controlled systems. This would help students think critically about the intersection of technology and humanity, which is important for understanding the implications of the digital world we live in.

Ah, so you want to dabble in the thrilling world of Tech-noir and Cyberpunk’s splendid choice. For the final project, I would set the following parameters. Students must create a short film or interactive narrative that explores themes such as artificial intelligence, dystopian societies, ethical dilemmas in technology, and the dark side of innovation. Encourage them to experiment with nonlinear storytelling, use of futuristic visuals, and sound designed to create an immersive experience that challenges conventional narratives. And remember, keep a wary eye on those AI creations. We don’t want them getting any funny ideas about taking over the world through your storytelling project.

I don’t really share Oblivion’s obsession with AI, but I am interested in the intersection of technology and humanity and the implications of the digital world we live in, tech-noir and technopoly. I also think nonlinear storytelling is particularly appropriate since the digital realm is built for it. Unlike the Doctor, I am fully supportive of attempts to take over the world through digital storytelling, because #ds106 is #4life. Then I asked the Doctor for three final project prompts:

Oh, how original. Trying to be the next Philip K. Dick, are we? Fine, I’ll humor you.
Here are three prompts for your little digital storytelling course.
One, create an interactive multimedia narrative set in a dystopian future where advanced AI technology governs society, exploring the ethical implications of such a reality.
Two, develop a short film utilizing cyberpunk aesthetics and themes to reflect on the impact of technology on human relationships and individual identity in a post-industrial world.Three, design a virtual reality experience that immerses users in a tech-noir cityscape, blending elements of mystery, suspense, and advanced technologies to convey a narrative about power dynamics in a hyper-connected world.
There you go, kid. Now go make me proud or whatever.

Now that’s the Oblivion attitude I was looking for! Do with his advice what you will. He’s not calling the shots. We developed story treatments a few weeks ago. You may use those for final project narrative ideas. You may build on ideas you came up with for your radio projects. You could also do something completely different.

So here are the final project details:

• You have the option of doing the final project individually or as a group project. If you do it as a group project, each group member needs to blog about it.
• Your project should showcase the multiple digital media skills you have developed over the semester. It could take the form of a post or a subdomain with embedded media, or a complex video incorporating audio production and design, or something else if you have a different idea.
• As with everything else in ds106, you have a great deal of freedom as to how you interpret these prompts and execute the project.
• One of the things that makes ds106 what we know and love is the student input. Do you have ideas for final project prompts? It should be something that builds upon what we’ve been doing, involves the use of a variety of digital media, and gives people room for creative exploration. Feel free to post ideas, thoughts or questions in the #finalprojects channel in Discord. Take advantage of this if you’re looking for collaborators as well.
• Project size: You want the project to showcase what you can accomplish with digital media. It is a two-week project, so it should represent a fair amount of work. Your write-ups for each week should detail the thought processes and effort that go into the project. Ideally it should be something that you will want to archive and show off to family, friends, and future generations.

Timeline

Due Friday, 4/18, by midnight: a weekly summary outlining your project and detailing the work done so far. It would be a good idea to post one or two progress updates during the week, to share ideas and get feedback from the class, and to prevent procrastination.

Due Friday, 4/25: the finished project and a weekly summary reflecting on the work and your creative process, and describing how well it represents what you have learned over the semester. The project and the summary could be separate posts or they could be included in one – whichever works better for your project. Again it would be a good idea to post a progress report during the week.

Daily Creates

Daily Creates are optional for these two weeks.