Don’t you want a bigger and better Jellylift?
Transmedia storytelling.
This is a term I had never heard of before, but after some reading and inquiring, it began to paint a picture of something I had definitely seen before. The idea of using multiple media platforms to expand on and tell one story in different forms is a concept that we’re unknowingly so used to, that giving it a name – transmedia storytelling – doesn’t even ring a bell.
We’ve all seen multiple iterations of the content we love: books that have movies and games and clothing lines, games that have movies and toys, toys that have shows and games, shows that have amusement park rides and stores… I could truly go on.
We even see this on a smaller, strictly digital scale, such as blogs that have corresponding social media platforms. It’s honestly pretty common nowadays, and anyone who’s trying to be someone typically has their name plastered across an Instagram, Youtube, Tiktok, their own website, and probably more that I haven’t got the energy to dig up right now. In fact, to pull a quote directly from this week’s reading,
“Transmedia storytelling is the ideal aesthetic form for an era of collective intelligence”
Which I think perfectly depicts the state of content creation across the… well… across everything, I guess. More than anything, transmedia storytelling keeps you from being confined by the form rules and structural boundaries set by one platform. I was discussing this with a fellow PUB101 student, and he mentioned how on his Instagram, he wouldn’t be able to do projects like his Mini-Assignment #3, and on his blog, he wouldn’t be able to upload his more “low-key creative endeavours.” In fact, he talks all about it in his process post, and I’m not trying to mooch off his content so I’ll cut the talk of his work right here.
Circling back, the idea here is that in an ‘era of collective intelligence,’ we are offered this incredible luxury of transmedia storytelling that only continues to expand with the boundless wonders of the entire digital sphere.
But I know what you’re here for.
you’re here for a bigger and better Jellylift!
Why on earth would I title this post “Jellylift Can Only Get Bigger and Better” if I wasn’t planning to bigger and to better Jellylift? All this talk of transmedia storytelling, and yet how am *I* going to implement it you ask?
Well, hear me out.
If you’ve been following Jellylift at all, you’ll know that I’ve been struggling to keep up with lifting content. With the way I tend to post and share, I’ve simply found that the nature of a blog is better suited for the type of content I’m sharing about Jellycats. And so, I suppose it’s time to let the (Jelly)cat out of the bag, and admit that I’ve been keeping a secret.
A very BIG secret.
Jellylift, unbeknownst to you all, is not actually confined to this blog. There is an extension of the blog, @bulkabani, where you can find all the lifting content your little heart desires. Why keep it hidden you ask? Refer to my discussion of my gatekeeping tendencies in Physique Update #1, and you’ll find everything you need to know.
@bulkabani works to tell the same whimsical story that Jellylift does, but with more of a focus on weightlifting. Content in the forms of reels and shitposts is better suited for Instagram than this blog, which is what you find across @bulkabani and is a prime example of how Jellylift is going to transition into transmedia storytelling.
In a perfect world, @bulkabani is not a private account, and is open to be shared with the world just the same way that Jellylift is. But go easy on me, okay? We aren’t there yet.
In an even more perfect world, @bulkabani would not only be an extension of the Jellylift blog, but also of a Jellylift Instagram – which does not actually exist yet. As much as being glued to social media causes me actual physical pain, I would be lying if I didn’t say I absolutely love Instagram as a platform. Over on @bulkabani you get lifting memes, constant physique updates, PR clips, and more! And so the goofy tone that is carried across Jellylift would translate perfectly into Instagram.
And would only make Jellylift bigger and that much better.
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