Narrative transportation, identification, and storytelling in environmental (science) communication.
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Narratives appear to be uniquely suited for changing emotionally held opinions and beliefs (Mazzocco, P.J. & Green, M., 2011). Most people make sense of the world through stories, rather than numbers and facts. Narratives can help people to understand complex and abstract scientific subjects, and make it easier to remember and process (Climate Outreach, 2017).
Braddock and Dillard (2016) state that a message becomes a narrative “if it contains a story that contains information about setting, characters, and their motivations.” (p. 446).
The terms narrative and story are often used in mixed context and are often seen as synonymous. However, there is a slight difference. In contrast to a story, a narrative is bigger: it can be seen as a frame or an overarching concept which gives meaning to a broader vision. A good narrative contains a range of stories which validate its message (Margolis, 2018). An example of a well-known narrative is ‘The American Dream’. Multiple stories tell this narrative, but the narrative itself is not necessarily a story. Therefore, “all stories are narratives, but not all narratives are stories.” (Gerace & McKee, 2008, p. 77). Where a story usually has a beginning, middle, and ending, a narrative can have an open ending, whereby the outcome is still to be explored (Margolis, 2018).
Stories often lack straightforward arguments. This is in contrasts with argument-based communications, which strive to persuade by presenting a series of logical and cogent arguments in favour of a given viewpoint (Perloff, 2013). Escalas (2007) found that narratives reduced counter-arguments compared to argument-based messages. Narratives are processed more comprehensively, which affects information integration. A good story can build a sense of belonging, be suspenseful and engaging, and can be persuasive (Arnold, 2018). But how does a story become persuasive? What are the underlying mechanisms and variables?