- I used the emoji search bar available on my iPhone to help find emojis that could relay the information about my idea. Obviously, it was difficult to find emojis that could replace the words 1 to 1. I found that for some words I had to use multiple emojis to try and get the message across.
- It required me to put myself in the shoes of my readers and wonder whether the emojis I was using could be interpreted differently or not.
- Reading it back to myself in the end, I found that unless the reader knew exactly what idea I was referring to and had watched/read it before, they would only be able to have a very basic idea of what I was talking about. Specific ideas and names were broken down into their most basic form (like the name John being shown as a male emoji, for example).
Did you rely more on syllables, words, ideas, or a combination of all of them?
- I relied more on a combination of words and ideas. The thought of using syllables did not even cross my mind.
Did you start with the title? Why? Why not?
- I started with the title because I figured that it could at least give some context to the reader before reading the synopsis. However, the title itself is not included in the synopsis.
Did you choose the work based on how easy it would be to visualize?
- I chose this idea because I recently watched/read it, and also thought that since it is recent and somewhat popular, that readers could recognize it.
“Words no longer seem to carry conviction without the reappearance as a picture of the imagery that was latent in them. Throughout the history of writing, there have been visual puns and designs that combine words, icons, and pictures.” (Bolter, 2001, p.54) One thing that came to mind is how often I see emojis used on social media nowadays, specifically on Instagram. Emojis are used to convey emotions, replace words/ideas, and deliver the message with more strength by adding a visual component to the text. It is interesting how society is able to perceive certain emojis as a completely different meaning than the original context was. For example, the skull emoji ???? is perceived as an image used to portray someone laughing or finding something humorous, as opposed to a symbol of death (I am 99% sure no one has ever used the skull emoji when referring to death, if someone has a real example please let me know).
References
Bolter, J. D. (2001). Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
PHI, I loveeee this show. I just finished watching the second season of AinB (don’t want to ruin for others) and was mind blown. I’ll do a proper comment but wanted to come on here and say you did a great job, I got it right away!
Hahaha, I’m glad you got it Jessie 🙂 I tried to keep it short and simple but was worried nobody would get it!
Hi Phi,
I appreciate the time you took to choose emojis that represented the story. I also chose the same approach in story telling through ideas vs. trying to find word for word representations.
I really enjoyed the quote you chose because I think it is really relevant to how we communicate today. “Words no longer seem to carry conviction without the reappearance as a picture of the imagery that was latent in them. Throughout the history of writing, there have been visual puns and designs that combine words, icons, and pictures.” (Bolter, 2001, p.54). I think it was only a matter of time for emojis to appear, as we have seen visuals accompanied with written text all throughout history. Think of picture books, textbooks, magazines, newspapers, etc.
I think the nuances of how emojis are used is so interesting, considering they change over time. The Skull emoji or Coffin emoji is used to refer to the term ‘dead’ meaning something is hilarious or ridiculous. I think emojis add an imperative context to text. Think about when someone texts someone ‘k’. The dreaded ‘K’. If someone puts a laughing emoji or heart after, it completely changes the context than if it were to remain on it’s own. I think a lot of issues arise from perception when it comes to written text as the meaning is often lost in the digital translation. Emojis add some context and emotion (good or bad) to written text and allow us to communicate more effectively using it.
References
Bolter, J. D. (2001). Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Hi Phi,
I am trying SO hard, but the task is made harder because the categories are so open, that we’re not even sure if it’s a TV show or a book. I don’t watch enough TV, or know the trendy shows, but I can decipher that is involves a girl in the mountains, and a boy/man in Japan.
There’s dancing, and a gamer, and maybe a joker who is trying to take over the world?
Did I even come close to the meaning? I found the arrows really hard to decipher, whether they were meant to indicate a specific direction or movement.
Sounds interesting, and a lot going on, whatever it may be 😉
Hi Angela,
Thank you for your reply and for taking the time to try and interpret my story. Like most other ones I saw, it really is impossible unless you have watched or know of the show or book they are referring to.
Your interpretation is definitely on the right track, but is missing a few pertinent details (perhaps I should have added more context).
If you want , a hint is that the show is on Netflix right now. Hopefully that will help you figure out what it is 😉