Although the title of my movie and plot were rather short and did not require many emoji’s, I still found this more challenging than I thought. I think it was because I am someone who only uses the “thumbs up” emoji once in a while while texting. Truth is, I would probably never even use that emoji if I have to search it up. It appears at the bottom of my phone when I start typing something like “got it” or “sounds good.” So, I think my brain doesn’t really work in this emoji “language” yet. 

My lack of interest in emojis may not be the only reason my brain doesn’t work well with the emoji “language.” I am also drawn to our assigned reading by Gunther Kress (2005). He discusses spatial awareness and interpretation of symbols. He gives an example of interpreting a drawing with a child standing between both parents, to a second drawing of the child standing next to the mother but not the father. He elaborates on how both drawings can be interpreted drastically differently. For me, I have only worked with words, and I know which verbs I want to attach to produce my intended message. With emojis, I didn’t know how to get that message across. I felt as if I messed up my message (the title and plot of my last viewed movie). I kept thinking it would be like that drawing Kress discussed. That is, potentially misleading.

Kress (2005), Gains and losses: New forms of texts, knowledge, and learning. Computers and Composition, Vol. 2(1), 5-22.