The construction of reader positioning in an interactive digital narrative. A discussion in the light of Multiliteracies Theory

In this paper, we aim to contribute to the characterization of multimodality of digital texts, more specifically to the understanding of the functioning of the modes of representation in the construction of the reader's positioning in an interactive digital narrative. We present a multimodal discourse analysis of the meanings constructed in a storyapp, which goal is the promotion of intercultural dialogue among children. The analysis is supported by categories from Systemic-Functional Linguistics, Social Semiotics, and visual narrative analysis; it focuses on the description of interpersonal meanings represented in verbal, visual, and aural and the intermodal meaning relations established. The results reveal that the representation of interpersonal meanings in this interactive digital text, of which the promotion of positive feelings of acceptance towards the represented culture stands out, constitutes a multimodal complex. The results allow the discussion of this storyapp as an instantiation of central assumptions of the Theory of Multiliteracies and highlight the need for a new pedagogy aligned to the inherent characteristics of the interaction between language and technology.