This project examines The Lizzie Bennet Diaries as a seminal instance of transmedia that charts new territory in its ability to establish meaningful connectivity between the audience, the creators and the characters of the series. Based on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice and anchored by a bi-weekly YouTube vlog, The Lizzie Bennet Diaries capitalizes on (and often veritably invents) the narrative power of social media platforms. In doing so, the creators are not just telling a story — they’re building a world, and inviting their audience to come inside.

While The Lizzie Bennet Diaries is distinct in its approach to multiplatform storytelling, its themes, characters, and audience composition have their roots in legacy media, and counterparts in such acclaimed series as New Girl and Girls. These series in particular — shows that pull focus to the current cultural anxieties of emerging adulthood in a looming recession, and the tribulations of the first tech-addled generation — have the most to offer, and the most to gain from transmedia. Trials in Transmedia evaluates the specific connective strategies used to construct the world of LBD. It then evaluates how those strategies could be applied to mainstream TV properties, demonstrating how shows like New Girl and Girls can also engage in world building and offer their fans an immersive television experience — one that doesn’t end when the credits roll.