Linked to the post: https://blogs.ubc.ca/etec540ag/2022/06/26/task-6-an-emoji-story/

Admittedly, I do not watch many shows and the ones that I do are limited to Netflix, so my guess may seem dated. It wasn’t obvious to me with simply the emojis what the show could be, but based on Agnes’ reflection and some clues (that being one her daughter watches) my prediction would be “The Big Bang Theory”. I’m not even convinced with my answer as the choice of scientist emoji was a woman and there are male scientists. Clearly,  I was very focused on the one emoji and came up with other ideas like “Magic School Bus” or “Bill Nye the Science Guy” (classic TV shows I used to watch growing up) but decided against it as there would be more appropriate icons to use. 

Both Agnes and I used our iPhones  as devices to generate the emoji story and it took a few added steps to have it appear on WordPress. Interestly, Agnes initially began the process using Joypixel on her Chromebook which was not compatible with WordPress. With such universal picture symbols, it would appear that there are still errors in recognizing its functionality across digital platforms- unlike copying and pasting typed words. 

Agnes’ reference to the Objiwe’s cultural use of image content in Bolter (2001) in relation to our cultural use of emojis stood out. Over time, our culture has become so richly immersed in visuals and a reliance on these symbols to evoke certain emotions and convey meanings in a digital space. The emoji lexicon has evolved to represent a diverse range of symbols ranging from religion, professions and even skin colour choices. So much so, they have become part of our popular culture and have been branded into plush toys and clothing lines. In Pardes (2018) article in Wired, she suggests  that  “In the future, as the world becomes increasingly digital and increasingly globalized, emoji will become important tools for translation and communication—a lingua franca for the digital age.” This ‘bridge language’ could potentially allow for cross cultural communication and support inclusion of various audiences that would undoubtedly be better at deciphering the emoji language and stories such as this. 

Reference:

Pardes, A. (2018, February 1). The WIRED Guide to Emoji. Wired. Retrieved from: https://www.wired.com/story/guide-emoji/