Bolter (2000) suggests that modern digital media often prioritize visuals over text. Creating an emoji story initially seemed easy to do since it involves using visuals to represent different aspects of a narrative. However, I found creating this emoji story to be more challenging and time-consuming than I anticipated. While I may use emojis in text messages or emails to convey meaning or emphasis, crafting an entire narrative with emojis proved quite difficult. I considered other movies and TV shows that could be explained through emojis and noticed that dependent on the arrangement of emojis, it can influence how the story is interpreted.

I decided on creating an emoji story based on a recent episode from a show I had just watched. The visual imagery and storyline were fresh in my mind, making it easier to connect specific emojis to scenes and themes from that episode. This allowed me to find the emojis more effectively to tell the narrative. I found it easiest to first write sentences summarizing key moments in the show and then select emojis that best captured those ideas. This allowed me to convey the story clearly with a few emojis.

Bolter (2000) observes that digital technology blurs the distinction between author and reader, empowering readers to interpret and engage with content as creators themselves. When I’m reading through my own emoji story, it seems straightforward and conveys a theme of the TV show. However, considering each symbol can be interpreted differently by readers, the intended narrative may vary. This leads me to wonder how someone who is unfamiliar with the show might read and interpret the story.

Reference

Bolter, J. D. (2001). Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print. (2nd ed). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

• ETEC 540