The real online: database documentary in the knowledge space

Abstract

This article discusses the ways in which the narrative of the digital documentary is effected by interactive functions and in turn what this shift from linear presentation means for the truth claims of the genre. With reference to a self-produced database documentary (fredrobinsondoco.net) and to the work of Bill Nichols and his concept of the ‘logic of implication’, it is contended that the documentary operates in a cultural sphere that lends itself readily to the interactive database model of delivery. Drawing on Pierre Levy's notion of ‘collective intelligence’, it is argued that documentary may be an appropriate candidate for interactive models within which ideas of veracity can potentially become the product of consensus.

Notes on contributors

Stuart Dinmore is an Academic Developer with the University of South Australia's Learning and Teaching Unit. He leads a digital learning team tasked with implementing digital and blended learning programs within the university. He is particularly interested in the use of multimedia in the context of learning and teaching in higher education.