Storytelling Across Platforms
In recent weeks, I’ve been experimenting with a storytelling project that lives simultaneously in a fictional world and the real spaces we inhabit online. It’s a project I’ve been calling **#TrueFalse**, and at its heart, it’s an exploration of information, ethics, and the blurred line between public and private knowledge. While it’s fiction, it’s designed to feel, for a moment, plausibly real — and that tension is exactly where the story finds its energy.
The Premise
The story begins with a Scandinavian government agency, a world-class data organization I’ve dubbed a “giga-data” institution, tasked with collecting and analyzing enormous amounts of information. The protagonist is an employee of this agency — deeply knowledgeable, morally thoughtful, and, crucially, a writer. Outside of work, he publishes articles, exploring data ethics, policy implications, and emerging technology trends.
At a social gathering, he meets a tech editor from a prominent IT news site. What begins as casual conversation quickly turns significant: he lets slip a detail about an internal agency initiative. It’s small, not classified, not intended to go public — but it sets off a chain of events where he begins producing content that straddles the line between analysis and inside information. The editor notices, appreciates the insight, and begins compensating him for contributions, inadvertently creating a delicate and ethically charged information channel.
From here, the story grows. The agency notices unusual patterns in its public perception, PR steps in subtly, and the protagonist finds himself navigating a maze of ethical, professional, and personal dilemmas.
Why #TrueFalse?
I coined the term #TrueFalse to capture the essence of this project. It’s not just a story — it’s a narrative experiment in the way information moves through systems, and how perception shapes trust. The name is deliberately evocative: it signals the tension between reality and fiction, truth and interpretation, what is seen and what is hidden.
Unlike traditional storytelling, #TrueFalse is transmedia. It unfolds across platforms:
- Substack serves as the “news bulletin,” presenting fictional internal developments in the agency. The format mimics journalism, deliberately blurring the line between official communication and creative narrative.
- Bluesky functions as the social commentary space. Analyst-style posts react to the Substack installments, focusing on ethics, morality, and public responsibility. The posts are “in-world” reactions, giving readers a sense that the story exists in real time.
- The blog (this space) provides context, meta-commentary, and reflections on storytelling decisions — a place where the narrative can be framed for those who want to see behind the curtain.
By combining these channels, the story creates layers: a protagonist acting within a fictional universe, social media-style reactions that mirror real-life punditry, and meta-commentary to keep readers grounded in the fact that this is imaginative work, even as it feels immersive.
Ethics, Morality, and Public Engagement
One of the most compelling aspects of the project is the ethical dimension. While the story initially involves technical or procedural knowledge, the focus has shifted to questions of duty, trust, and accountability. The protagonist is not a hacker, not a spy, and not a villain — but he occupies a morally gray space. He is aware of the implications of what he shares, yet the act of communicating internal insight sparks questions about the nature of responsibility in organizations, the role of public information, and the sometimes-unintended consequences of transparency.
The BlueSky posts, for instance, are written from the perspective of a skeptical, ethics-focused pundit. They ask: When does sharing internal deliberations cross the line? Is it harmless transparency, or an early sign of a systemic problem? The posts do not offer answers — they exist to provoke reflection, debate, and engagement.
This interplay between Substack and Bluesky allows the story to simulate public reaction without relying on actual events. Likes, comments, and shares become a narrative tool in themselves, providing the protagonist (and the audience) a sense of momentum and stakes.
Serial Storytelling and Audience Interaction
The project is deliberately episodic. Each Substack installment ends with a hook — for example, “If I get enough likes, I’ll post the next installment.” This has two functions:
- It mimics the social-media economy of attention, making engagement part of the story experience.
- It emphasizes the serial nature of the narrative, encouraging readers to follow the unfolding story actively rather than passively consuming a single, static piece of content.
Serial storytelling also allows for slow-burn character development and gradual tension escalation. The protagonist’s moral choices, the agency’s subtle manipulations, and the editor’s role can unfold over multiple installments, giving readers space to reflect and react along the way.
Lessons from the Experiment
This project has already highlighted several interesting insights about narrative, perception, and online culture:
- Perception matters as much as content. A fictional “news bulletin” can feel plausible if formatted correctly, even if the story is entirely invented.
- Ethics resonate. While technical details can be interesting, readers engage more deeply when questions of morality, trust, and responsibility are foregrounded.
- Platform choice shapes narrative. Substack, social media, and blogs each have different affordances and constraints. Combining them allows for a richer, more layered storytelling experience.
- Interactivity is narrative. By using likes and comments as part of the story’s unfolding, the audience becomes a participant, not just a consumer.
What’s Next
The project is still in its early stages. Future installments will explore:
- The agency’s internal response and the protagonist’s moral reckoning
- Public reaction simulated through Bluesky posts
- The role of PR, management, and unintended consequences of transparency
- Ethical dilemmas that test both the protagonist and the readers’ sense of what is right
By continuing to post installments on Substack, and reacting in-universe on social media, the story will grow into a layered, immersive narrative — one that asks readers to think about truth, responsibility, and the subtle ways information shapes perception in organizations and society.
Closing Thoughts
TrueFalse is an experiment in storytelling, ethics, and interactivity. It’s a fiction project designed to feel real, but with a clear purpose: to make readers pause, reflect, and question how information is shared, consumed, and acted upon. It blends narrative, social media simulation, and ethical inquiry in ways that challenge both the writer and the audience.
By using real-world platforms as narrative space, the project leverages familiarity and expectation to engage readers, while remaining entirely within the bounds of creative fiction.
Ultimately, #TrueFalse is about curiosity — the curiosity of the protagonist, the audience, and, hopefully, the writer too. It’s a story that asks: When information is power, what is our ethical responsibility in sharing it? And who decides where the line is drawn?