Methodology

The seven narratives used in this exhibit were chosen for their similar narrative and content features, the narrow age span of the contributors, and their close submission dates to the DALN, which suggest that they were recorded around the same time.

Alyssa Schultz

Anonymous

Brittany Dauterman

Vanessa Johnston

 

Diana Musgrave

Kevin Lanning

Stephanie Springer

 

The narratives come from young people, apparently in their early twenties, and were submitted to the DALN in January and February of 2010. The DALN does not require contributors to include any demographic information when they submit their narratives, although the submission form allows contributors to add this kind of information. As a result, many artifacts in the archive—including all of the narratives examined here except Johnston’s—do not include any demographic information about their creators aside from what the narrators make evident about themselves in the performance of their narrative. As a result, unless otherwise stated, the claims made here about age, gender, race, and other identity characteristics are based on how the narrators present themselves.