SKAM: Changing the Face of Storytelling.

In 2015 a revolutionary web series created by Julie Andem premiered in Norway and changed the face of media forever. Like Beyoncé with her self titled album, this series was dropped with no previous promotion and like Beyoncé’s album, it broke records. The viewership on its premiere was extraordinary and proceeded to expand to the series as it went on.

A huge credit to SKAM’s success is how the series entered into the digital space. In what Variety.com calls ‘Transmedia Storytelling’ SKAM is a story told across different platforms in real-time with the show. With the original series, each episode aired in clips and then in between the clips additional information was posted on the production’s website (NRK P3). This additional information included pictures of the characters, chats and texts to and from each other and other tidbits.

Telling the story over different platforms gave room for more content consumption and background, that a traditional show wouldn’t be able to give. It also added in more elements of reality as most communication then and especially now is over social media or other forms of digital messaging. SKAM was also able to tell its story in fewer episodes because more content was given in other forms than traditional shows. The series was such a hit that it went on to have 4 seasons, 43 episodes and 6 remakes. The one I fell across is the American remake; SKAM Austin.

The output of SKAM Austin is similar to that of the original show. However, there are added elements such as; Instagram accounts for each of the characters that also follow the real-time show and post, delete, interact, and become public at such time. As a viewer and an audience member having the transmedia multiplatform storytelling is such a refreshing take on not just web series but shows in general. It makes it not just watchable, but incredibly intriguing and raw. It’s easier to relate and believe what is happening because we physically see it happening on the platforms we see our real lives happening on.

In the same interview with Variety.com Andem, who is not only the creator of SKAM, but also the showrunner for SKAM Austin said, “It’s obviously clear that social media plays a significant role in teens’ daily lives...it was important for us to reflect that...teens are looking for someone to relate to and bringing these characters to life through real-time content...makes them identify stronger with the characters.”

It’s clear that the people running the show know what they’re doing. The engagement on SKAM Austin alone is enough to rival any traditional show. The first three episodes of the series have collectively been viewed 23.3 million times while the other episodes in the two series, 18 episode run, range anywhere from 3k to 1.5 million individually. That engagement alone is insane. But when you count all the socials run by the show they have a collective following of 682.5k. And all of that engagement is separate from the show itself. The cult phenomenon Vampire Diaries had 1.19 million people tune in for the series finale. That’s 13.81 million less than have viewed just the first episode of SKAM Austin. SKAM came to America via Facebook Watch, a fairly new streaming platform. The daily drops and episodes appear on this website, app, and social that most people check almost every day giving easy access to this show.

The format of SKAM Austin lends itself so well to the storyline which follows high school students throughout their lives and touches on subjects such as relationships, identity, political issues, sexual assault, eating disorders, self-esteem and other topics that teens regularly go through, but are sparsely informed on. Each season follows a new main character and tells the continuation of the story through their eyes. Being able to follow their lives through the daily drops and Instagram posts in real-time is almost like being a part of the show. Viewers get all the information when they do. It’s almost an immersive experience which is unlike any other show I’ve ever seen. It changes the way the content is processed and approached. When a clip drops it’s very viable that something posted on Instagram will also be referred to in the actual show, so keeping up on the social media aspect is huge part of engaging.

So far there are two seasons of SKAM Austin and a rumoured third that will hopefully be coming out this fall. But until then you can catch up on all things SKAM Austin on Facebook Watch and all the Instagram pages of the characters.

By Kiyomi Coronado

IG: @kiyomicoronado