Compression of the Narrative

We live in the age of 'more is better'. We produce more, we consume more and we are constantly striving to increase the rates of both. The way we understand stories is becoming increasingly complex as we can rely on a wealth of shorthand tropes to communicate messages already layered with a history of meanings in order to expedite the story telling process. Internet communication is abbreviated to extremes and movie and TV set a narrative pace that can leave the older generation exhausted and struggling to keep up.In short, we are telling more stories and can do so at a quicker pace than ever.

So what effect does this have on narrative structure and how we consume it?

I told a friend the other day that I had recently watched two seasons of Dexter (24 episodes - nearly 24 hours of footage) within a matter of weeks. This is not how the network intends you to view it, but it is an increasingly popular way to consume the content. Ten years ago, these episodes would be digested over the course of 24 weeks (plus a couple month break between seasons). Each episode would have it's 'water-cooler' moment for discussion with friends and fellow enthusiasts. The narrative trajectory could be pondered and dissected in a lengthy way. Watching a season in one hit means that the water-cooler effect is now to discuss the season as a whole. The season becomes one large episode for discussion and dissection (pun intended when referring to Dexter). I have consumed an entire year's worth of production within the space of a few weeks. In doing so I have compressed the narrative (and the time it takes to tell it) and bypassed the digestion of each individual episode with insight from others. Does the thrill of consuming this narrative quickly mean that I cheat myself from interjecting my own thoughts into the narrative journey? Am I allowing myself to be dumbed down under the weight of multiple rapid rate TV shows? I know I enjoy the rapid rate at which I can absorb the narrative and the pace of the narrative when consumed in this way is exhilarating. But I'm lead to wonder what affect telling more stories at a faster pace will have on our understanding of narrative. Surely the common narrative will have to contain more information to support this trend, but where does that leave the writer?

Although this 'narrative compression' will occur differently across different media, this has me wondering about the impact such consumption will have on future narratives. Is more better? And what are the implications for the writer?

Luke for dotdotdash