How the stories we tell can help change the world

The blog post you read on the Tube. The social posts you scanned while the kettle boiled. That radio show you half-listened to while you fed the cat. The podcast you put on while you went for a run. That anecdote your mum told over Sunday lunch. We spend our lives absorbing stories. 

Beneath these seemingly random snippets hum connecting narratives. Sometimes called deep narratives, these long-held beliefs are embedded in our culture through constant repetition. They shape our society’s view of the world, and influence how we think, feel and act.

They are often so pervasive, they exist so deep in our subconscious minds, that they’re invisible to us. This article by Alice Sachrajda and Thomas Coombes talks about deep narrative as a tool for change in the world. Alice and Thomas explain the role of deep narrative using the example of migrants or refugees. “The accumulation of lots of different individual stories of refugee or migrant boats crossing the Mediterranean, could be understood through the framing to add up to a narrative that refugees or migrants are ‘taking over’. The deep narrative though, would be something like ‘fear of the other’, which relates more directly to our view of human nature and the way the world works. Without this deep narrative being firmly embedded, the narrative of refugees and migrants taking over would not necessarily be so persuasive.”

As with the refugee and migrant example, many deep narratives are damaging and can prevent us from moving forward or making life better for ourselves and others. On a personal level, a deep-held belief that we’re bad at sport, perhaps brought on by an incident or comment from our childhood, can cause us to fear or avoid physical activity.

Our current climate predicament stems at least in part from the deep narrative that the Earth is a resource and its riches are ours for the taking. (As opposed to a common indigenous belief that we are stewards of the land for future generations.)

But deep narrative change is not only a cause, it can be a solution. One way to break free from that pattern of avoiding sport is to change the narrative we tell ourselves. Similarly, we can do thousands of reports on recycling and turtles and whales and wildfires, but when it comes to inciting real lasting change, it’s not enough to tell stories. To alter the course of events, we need to dismantle and reconstruct damaging deep narratives. To do this with any effectiveness, Alice and Thomas argue, we need to find narrative synergy between groups campaigning for change. In other words, agree on some common deep narratives and embed them in everything we do.

Once aligned on the deeper collective story we’re telling, we will only begin to affect the deep narrative by repeating these new narratives. A deep narrative that’s on its way to change in some countries (though not there yet) is that women belong in the home. Look at advertising from 20 or even just 10 years ago and most depictions of women were at home caring for the house and family. Nowadays, we see and hear more stories of women working and doing myriad other things women can do (!) and slowly the narrative is beginning to change.  

How does this affect us as content creators, creatives and internet people? Regardless of what we’re writing or who we’re writing for, we have a responsibility to bolster the narratives on which we want to build the future.

Before you publish that new blog post, submit the storyboard for that ad or plan your podcast, check in on what narratives you’re supporting.

Every voice matters. Every time we use our voice, it’s part of a great global chorus. What narratives are we strengthening? Which are we helping to dismantle?

Shout out to Lauren Pope for linking to this in her Ten Things newsletter (which you MUST subscribe to if you don’t already).