Understanding homelessness in Loughborough through co-created immersive digital storytelling

<p dir="ltr">As a social issue, homelessness is characterized by debates over the nature of the problem and about solutions. Within this debate exists several entrenched theoretical perspectives (Ravenhill 2008) and harmful assumptions around the individual experience of homelessness (Merton 1949; Leiss, Beck, Ritter, Lash and Wynne 1995). This research moves towards empowering the voices of lived experience in research on homelessness and makes sense of how individuals experience and comprehend their life-worlds. In this research, a co-creative immersive digital storytelling methodology has been developed to further this work and address the damage done to public perception through previous representations, by exploring empathic approaches to these methods.</p><p dir="ltr">This methodology, and the co-creation of immersive digital stories with participants with experiences of homelessness in Loughborough, considers these research questions: (i) how does homelessness affect an individual’s relationship with place?; (ii) what specific types of knowledge can be produced from the creation of digital storytelling and 360 degree video in homelessness contexts?; (iii) how do co-creative relationships affect immersive digital storytelling and vice-versa in homelessness contexts?; and (iv) what role can empathy play in developing knowledge on the issue of homelessness?</p><p dir="ltr">The thesis begins with reviewing the literature in the areas of homelessness, narrative and digital storytelling, co-creation and empathy. The methodology chapter then proposes a conceptual framework for the research methods and approaches. I then examine my own positionality through autoethnographic practice, a feasibility study conducted with doctoral researchers at Loughborough University and immersion in homelessness contexts in Loughborough. After these initial activities, the materials and methods of the study conducted at Falcon Support Services in Loughborough with participants with experiences of homelessness. Falcon Support Services is a charity providing services to those experiencing homelessness, at risk of homelessness or those in need across Leicestershire and Rutland (Falcon 2016). The immersive digital stories co-created with these participants with experiences of homelessness from this study are presented. The stories are analysed according to their themes, narrative components and immersive elements. The co-creative immersive digital storytelling methodology is then reflected on, drawing out its successes and limitations. A further study including data collected from exhibiting the immersive digital stories follows, and I then discuss the findings from all of these studies in relation to the research questions and the main contributions of this research.</p><p dir="ltr">The results of this research suggest that presentation of lived experiences of homelessness through immersive digital storytelling, highlight a shared reality with audiences rather than the specifics of the marginalised experience of homelessness. These methods have shown potential for developing situated ethnographic knowledge about homelessness, through their capacity for transparency, making evident the interactions and perspectives that contribute to an understanding of homelessness. As well as the implications co-creative relationships have had on the knowledge produced, these relationships provide care and support between the researcher and participants, the researcher and research partner organisation, and amongst the participants. Empathy is demonstrated to contribute to inclusion, more similar to recognition than it is to absorption. It is suggested that a methodology such as this one, has the capacity to demonstrate one’s empathy to co-creators, and the positive impact this could have on future research.</p>