"I love stories - I've been telling and hearing them since I was three years old"

SXSW goer Sophie Zimmerman finds reassurance at SXSW that there's a bright future for story-telling.

Sophie Zimmerman: This is the third year at SXSW I've heard lots of people talking about "storytelling". I love stories - I've been telling and hearing them since I was three years old. They grow as I grow, they develop characters, emotions, faces and names. They blur the lines between what's real and fantasy and shape the way I think about the world. With so much technology at our disposal and kids ditching their books and conversations for shorthand texting and YouTube, I've worried away that stories will be forgotten and the art of storytelling will be replaced by the automation of syndicated news, idle chatter and pointless selfies... but I'm starting to feel reassured – and relieved – that so many people and organisations seem to be investing in storytelling more than ever and using technology to find new and innovative ways to share and develop stories in ways that we haven't even thought of before. We need stories to evolve who we are and maintain a legacy of where we've been – so let's hope technology can be used innovatively to support us on that journey.