'Instagram is killing storytelling'

This week's coverage of SXSW 2012 in Austin, Texas, is provided by Next Issue Media.

"How do we speak to people in a way that engages them?" It's not a new question and certainly not one that only journalists are interested in. In an age where, according to Google, the average Internet user spends less than three seconds deciding whether or not to hit the "back" button, the answer is somewhat elusive.

During the SXSW Interactive panel "The Power of Visual Storytelling," panelists addressed the question of what works - and what decidedly does not – when trying to gain and maintain an audience’s attention.

"Instagram is killing storytelling," exclaimed Charlie Wollborg, "chief troublemaker" at marketing agency Curve, drawing grumbles from the crowd. He defended himself by explaining that too often bloggers rush to finish a project and post it without taking the appropriate time to make it as good as it can be.

“You could be the best blogger in the world, but if your headline sucks … Bye bye!” said Wollborg, waving at the crowd.

Karl Gude, professor of journalism at Michigan State University, echoed Wollborg’s sentiment, explaining that whether it is a ghost story or a blog post about the passing of Whitney Houston, “You don’t have to grow up, but your writing does.”

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