Having now read more of "A Creator's Guide to Transmedia Storytelling", transmedia seems a lot more clear, and more of a concrete term than a speculated idea. This was clarified mostly through extensive examples (which were much appreciated) in chapters five and six, such as different TV shows and movies. Discussing different examples in class today also helped immensely. Transmedia might be a term best defined by examples instead of a hard and fast definition.
In chapter seven, we're introduced to another term lacking a single definition across the board: story/storytelling. Unlike the typical idea of a story that we're used to thinking of when we hear the term, marketers use "story" to describe a message or image that's conveyed quickly and simply with the intent of evoking a particular response. This seems simple at first, but of course, this general formula could lead to a multitude of results, all dependent on what's being marketed and the "story" that the target demographic needs to hear. As the reading discusses, this story can be a single photo, a quick blurb, or a "full-blown, narrative-based marketing [campaign]" (p. 70).
I think it's really interesting that through learning these terms and concepts, we're forming this media literacy that teaches us not only how to market, but also how we're marketed to. I have to wonder if this will lead to further reluctance to trust the media. I would hope it would lead to a better understanding of what is real and honest, but as we've learned, maybe we're just being told a really convincing story.
I share your growing reluctance to trust media as we study this topic more deeply. Seeing how marketers work and create stories is definitely making us more media literate which is especially important in the case of transmedia stories which can try to reach us in various parts of our lives - we always have to be aware what is being sold to us and how it is marketed.
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