Transmedia activism : exploring the possibilities in West Papua

Almost all of the academic and practice-based literature on transmedia storytelling is focused on fiction-based narratives. In this context, transmedia projects are seen to provide an opportunity for fictional narratives to be dispersed across multiple mediums and platforms, ideally with each medium and platform making its own contribution to the story in ways that entice and reward broad and deep levels of audience participation. This chapter considers the value of creating activist transmedia projects that seek to tell stories to, speak with and mobilise audiences across countries, cultures and languages. By engaging with some of the emerging definitions of Transmedia Activism, and examining two transmedia activist projects that address social justice issues in West Papua, we raise new possibilities for what may constitute Transmedia Activism and question the need for transmedia stories to necessarily be fiction-based