Since 1960s, literary criticism has discussed in great depth the role of the reader in the creation of texts and stories. 21st Century technologies made this role even more visible. #NERDS [Never Ending Retelling through Digital Stories] is a project that celebrates and investigates the infinite interactive territories offered by recent developments.

We all have representations coming to mind when thinking about a given story – be it a book, a legend or a TV show. For instance, if someone tells you: ‘Les Misérables’, ‘Catch 22’, or ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, regardless of whether or not you’ve read/seen/understood said work – images will immediately spring to mind. These images contribute to, and form part of, the collective imagination.

Engage with digital storytelling and contribute to this Visual Encyclopedia of the Collective Imagination by joining us on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook.

The #NERDS project won the Dot Award for Digital Literature 2017.