Reading media: a phenomenology of reading in a multimodal context

This PhD project is an interdisciplinary Creative and Critical investigation into young adult reading behaviours. It is a dialogic artefact and exegesis. The creative component - the artefact is a new form of book-as-object - mBook, which forms 70% of the PhD. The critical component is an exegesis comprising 30% of the PhD. The artefact is a young adult multimodal novel, generically named a mBook, for the 14+ reading demographic. The mBook contributes to current challenges of traditional understandings and definitions of 'book-as-object' by incorporating multimodality into its paper format with the use of Augmented Reality. Multimodal engagement with the mBook involves the use of a readily available smartphone application to project content onto the printed page. The exegesis situates the mBook into the lived experience of young adults reading in a post-convergent multimodal context. Artefact title: I Know Why You Run I Know Why You Run is a young adult psychological thriller. Protagonist, Ben, is a troubled young man who is being terrorised with less than flattering video footage of his interactions with his social group by an unknown stalker via social media. In trying to identify his stalker, Ben is forced to confront issues with alcohol, and process grief of the loss of significant people in his life. Exegesis title: Phenomenology of Reading in a Multimodal Context Reading, writing and understandings of literacy have changed significantly in the past ten years due to constantly evolving technologies. Though young adults are reading more than they have, their textual preferences are increasingly multimodal. This project explores young adult engagement with multimodal text and the consequences of that engagement for authors of young adult fiction.