Abstract

This research introduces the marriage between interactive documentaries (i-docs) and politics as an opportunity to motivate new civic participation and expression in the political sphere. The main objective of this study is to identify the different degrees of civic participation that i-docs permit and to setup a classification according to these levels of engagement. In order to achieve the main objective, this research has analyzed a group of documentaries using a mixture of Gaudenzi, Gifreu-Castells, and Nash methodology. The results show that it is possible to find a parallel between the closed mode and the Orwellian model; the semi-closed mode and the Tokenism model; the semi-opened mode and the playful model; and between the opened mode and the Athenian model. However, only the opened mode, used in the Global lives documentary, offers a real experience that symbolizes the purest representation of an open government system.

Abstract

The advent of the internet has changed the way we distribute media content, autonomously and independently, calling into question the audiovisual model that emerged in the second half of the twentieth century. Understanding this new way of doing things, in a constant state of evolution, gives us the opportunity to investigate the digital environment in order to take advantage of interactive possibilities. This paper presents the results of an investigation into a new format within the documentary genre that combines visual and literary content, which we have labelled documentarybook. This case study focuses on the documentarybook Hacia una primavera rosa (Towards a pink spring), which was freely distributed through the iBooks Author tool. This documentarybook offers an example, outside the standard conventions of the industry, of a differing supply chain, various reading levels and lenghts, and social public participation with optional levels of involvement. The results of this case study have allowed us to compare the degree of integration between old and new practices and propose theoretical and applied conclusions that may be useful for future social audiovisual projects.