It was more challenging than I expected trying to translate the movie title and plot into emojis. I originally wanted to focus on the title itself because the words in the title are commonly used and its meaning is fairly straightforward. However, there was no corresponding emoji available on the Emoji keyboard. I resorted to the ideas and characters of the movie, hoping that the chosen emojis also brought up the same ideas/themes for the readers.
This activity first reminded me of Gretchen McCulloch’s interview on the podcast The Allusionist from last week, where she talked about gestures and visuals such as Emojis being culturally bound and what people make of the emojis depending on their experience, cultural context and linguistic context. I pored over the emojis available hoping to find the most obvious one but knowing that it is not universal. Even the search bar was of little help in searching for the emoji as their descriptions don’t match the visual image (in my interpretation). I could not find the emojis for the specific emotions I was looking for – which is quite ironic (it will make sense once you know which movie I am referring to). I thought this movie would be easy to translate because it is what “emojis” are supposed to communicate (*hint*).
By lining up these emojis, I wondered if I was creating what Kress refers to as a strict order established by the writer, requiring the reader to follow and interpret signifiers. I am assuming that the reader will be reading from left to right (starting with the movie emoji). Does the sequence in that I laid out these emojis affect the readers and their chance of figuring out what movie I am referring to? Are the emojis an effective choice in telling a story or am I displaying a selection of elements associated with the movie, with no narration of the plot? I was also mindful of picking the correct visual representation of the main character’s ethnicity and trying to find the emoji that looks most like them.
On a personal note, this activity got me reflecting on how I post on social media. On image-sharing platforms, such as Instagram, I will often post an image followed by emojis as a description rather than words. I often thought this was the most concise and easiest way of communicating because instead of writing sentences on where I went and what activities I participated in – I could just use 4 or 5 emojis in their place. But from a reader’s perspective, it may not necessarily mean the same thing and since communication is constantly evolving, I realize that there is a chance of miscommunication with someone from another culture or generation, or with a different experience.
Reference
Kress, G. (2005), Gains and losses: New forms of texts, knowledge, and learning. Computers and Composition, 2(1), 5-22.
Zaltzman, H. (Host). (2019, July 13). New rules (No. 102). [Audio podcast episode]. In The allusionist.
Inside Out 2!!
I saw this last weekend as well and really enjoyed it. ???? It is an interesting point to make; how universal are emojis? Before taking this course, I would have assumed they were somewhat ubiquitous; however, as you stated so well, there are experiential, cultural, and linguistic contexts that influence how they are perceived. Take, for example, the emotion of anxiety from Inside Out 2. Depending on the individual, this could be symbolized in several ways. My initial thought for anxiety would be the ???? emoji, as I associate anxiety with feelings of nervousness, hesitation, and caution. The emoji ????or “grimacing face” emoji would depict those feelings based on my life experiences and culture; however, this emoji could also likely be interpreted as fear., another role in the movie. As I type this response, my opinion is already changing. Anxiety can be much more debilitating than fear and can create distress, so it would make sense to me if ???? is your representation of anxiety. Anxiety also played a villainous role in the movie, resulting in a panic attack, so this would also fit the context of the movie as well.
This exercise made me reflect on my work and the role of pictures and stylized images. I currently teach BSN students on a neurological floor where we care for a number of stroke patients. A large number of strokes result in the loss of language. Patients commonly have deficits impacting their ability to communicate due to expressive aphasia (where the patient can understand but cannot communicate) or dysarthria (where the muscles used for speech are weakened, affecting word formation). We often use pictures or images to help patients express their needs; however, we assume that what they are trying to convey can be captured in an image. Bolter (2001) notes that picture writing also lacks narrative power and can be broad and ambiguous with multiple interpretations despite the benefits of universality and immediacy. Without verbal context, viewers can misinterpret images. As much as images can aid in our communication, it is important that we don’t paint communication with a broad brush and make assumptions based on our own lived experiences.
Bolter, J. D. (2001). Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of printLinks to an external site. (2nd ed). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
My emojis did not come through in response; instead, they read as ???? if you are wondering why so many questions! I can’t edit the post 🙁
Hi Julia,
My guess is Inside Out 2? I haven’t seen the 2nd movie yet, but did watch the 1st and thought it might make sense based on the hockey and all the emotions listed. (And your hint was helpful too!) ????.
I really enjoyed reading your post and found myself relating to much of what you wrote. I also found this task more challenging than I initially anticipated. I was frustrated by my inability to convey a coherent story that I knew the audience could follow and ended up summarizing the plot in the most general way possible. Much like yourself, I relied on the positioning of elements to help, understanding that the audience would naturally read from left to right and top to bottom.
Your last paragraph was particularly thought-provoking for me. I too often use emojis when posting on social media, most commonly to convey tone, such as a heart, winky face, or silly face. I always thought these were universal. It never occurred to me that emojis themselves could be ambiguous or have multiple interpretations meaning the potential for miscommunication as you pointed out. This exercise was quite eye-opening in that regard. Emojis are extremely useful for specific expressions, but they may not be as effective for general communication.
Thanks!
Steph
(Sorry Julia – those extra question marks were an emoji – didn’t translate into the post. Should have gone old school) 😉
Hi Julia,
At first, I wasn’t sure what the emojis were alluding to, but as I read through your task, when I realized they represented characters from the movie, my guess was Inside Out 2! It’s funny because I have a clear visual image of what the emotions look like, but it took me a moment to connect them through emojis. When I was crafting my emoji story, I considered using various symbols or objects. If you were to create a story using these emojis instead of just smileys, how do you think different emotions could be represented? My idea was to use different colors but the same symbol to depict the different emotions from “Inside Out” — assuming that’s the theme! Another thought would be Sadness being portrayed as a tear drop???? and Anger as fire ????. What are your thoughts on this?
Your reflection on using emojis for captions is quite interesting. I think it is common practice to use emojis to express simple thoughts or emotions, yet their interpretations can vary significantly. I’ve personally observed that certain emojis, which I use frequently, can convey varied messages depending on who I send it to. Depending on the context too, the same emoji can have different meanings!
Hi Julia,
Initially, I had some difficulty understanding the emojis, but once I realized they represented characters from “Inside Out 2,” it all made sense! (I have only seen the trailer.) Your approach to using emojis to capture the emotional journey of the characters is interesting since I was expecting to decipher a synopsis. Your use of emojis is neat because it conveys the movie/plot without giving a complicated plotline. You describe characters symbolically, and the plot is somewhat self-explanatory. This was different from my approach, where I tried to convey a linear sequence of events. This made me realize how digital writing allows users to interpret things differently depending on how we prioritize different aspects of storytelling.
Thanks for sharing your creative process and insights!