The Changing Landscape of Language
We have gone from this:
to this:
According to linguist Ben Zimmer, emoticons are changing the way people communicate, “people are making up the rules as they go. It’s completely organic” (Zimmer, 2014). The whole emoticon movement is reminiscent of the first steps in our literacy journey when writing was made up of logographic and alphabetic elements of hieroglyphics. Is adding imagery to texting designed to “provide a more authentic or immediate experience than words alone” as Bolter posits about hypermedia (Bolter, 2001). Emoticons allow ‘readers’ of different languages to communicate as emoticons do not depend on the written language which is variable. Emoticons allow one to convey tone and emotion which can often be difficult with words. They fill in the interpersonal vacuum that is inherent in digital communication.
However, because these tiny images do not contain text, their meaning is determined by the reader and this meaning can be very broad. It is difficult to convey the context of a situation only with emoticons; text is required to ‘set the stage’, so to speak.
But what effect does this imagery have on literacy? Are emoticons just another example of “the breakout of the visual” that Bolter alludes to? The visual certainly offers greater opportunities for interpretation or construction of knowledge by individuals and makes the reading of electronic text more of a process, as observed by Hayles (in Dobson, Willinsky, 2009). Kress (2004) posits that speech and writing ‘tell the world’ how things are, or should be, and images ‘depict the world’, leaving the world open to interpretation by the viewer. Order, causality, power, and epistemological position are not specified with the image but rather left for the reader/visitor to design. Text may no longer be the central focus in electronic writing as it is with the printed book.
Literacy, as defined by Stock (2012), is “the ability to use available symbol systems that are fundamental to learning and teaching – for the purposes of comprehending and composing—for the purposes of making and communicating meaning and knowledge”. This definition does not limit literacy to the ability to only read and write, but rather incorporates the broader concept of ‘symbol systems’ into the definition. I think many of the multi-media of digital communication could be categorized under symbol systems. As a result however, it increases the skills that are needed in order to be considered literate.
However, with so much of electronic writing and reading open to individual interpretation, with readers jumping in an out of the text at various points, how do we ensure that what is important for our learners is actually learned? Are readers just “visitors” (Kress, 2004) and writing just a guessing game by authors about what content is needed? And if what is needed is unknown, is there a tendency to put in too much information in the hope that the reader will stumble upon it? Will authors no longer know about their audience and the subject matter? The teaching strategy of scaffolding learning is difficult if there is no fixed order to the information presented to learners. I disagree with Kress’ assertion that “depiction is a better means of dealing with much in the world than writing or speech” (p.21). There is no need to throw the baby out with the bathwater. True, we have be enculturated to the print medium since the advent of the printing press, however, how we communicate is an evolving process based on cultural and social practices shared by communities. It is not static and change and innovation are necessary in this evolutionary process. As the landscape of language changes it is not without its ups and downs.
Bans, L. (2013). 4 Life-altering messages, written entirely in emoji [Web site]. Retrieved from http://www.gq.com/story/important-emoji-messages
Bolter, J.D. (2001). Writing Space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print. Mahway, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 32-46, 77-98.
Dobson, T. & Willinsky, J. (2009). Digital Literacy. In Cambridge Handbook on Literacy. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Retrieved from http://pkp.sfu.ca/files/Digital%20Literacy.pdf
Kress, G. (2004). Gains and losses: New forms of texts, knowledge, and learning. Computers and Composition, 22, 5-22.
Robb, A. (2014). How using emoji makes us less emotional. New Republic, July 7. Retreived from http://www.newrepublic.com/article/118562/emoticons-effect-way-we-communicate-linguists-study-effects
Stock,P. (2012). Reflections about the meaning of literacy [Web site]. Retrieved from http://www.literacyinlearningexchange.org/defining-literacy
Wheeler, L.K. (2014). History of english [Web site}. Retrieved from https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/diagram_4English.html
You make an interesting comment about how the meaning of emoticons is “determined by the reader” and that text is still necessary to “‘set the stage.’” On the one hand emoticons can help the reader understand the meaning or intention behind the text (sarcasm for example does not translate well in just text), but text is still needed to put these emoticons/images into context. As Dobson and Willinsky (2009) mention, one of the main reasons people use these forms of computer-mediated communication is a “social impulse for speed characteristic of face-to-face communication” (p.10). People use emoticons to save time by not having to write out or go into explanations about the intended meaning or tone of their writing.
As Bolter (2001) explains, emoticons are meant to put the “verbal into context” and text does not need to disappear from electronic communication. If someone sends me a photo, or I am viewing an image online, in a newspaper or magazine, I might still need to read the caption to understand or contextualize what I am actually viewing.
I agree that “text may no longer be the central focus in electronic writing as it is with the printed book,” nor should it be. Kress (2005) suggests there has and continues to be a “realignment in culturally valued modes…that writing is giving way, is being displaced by image in many instances of communication where previously it had held sway” (p. 5). Images and text have been combined in previous technologies of writing (Bolter, 2001) and like you said, communication is an evolving process and change is necessary. Instead of focusing on what we could potentially lose, we should instead focus on what will be gained by the incorporation of images and text.
References
Bolter, J.D. (2001). Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print (2nd Ed.). Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum.
Dobson, T., & Willinsky, J. (2009). Digital literacy. In Olson, D. R., & Torrance, N. (Eds.), Cambridge handbook of literacy. (1-30). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Kress, G., & Van Leeuwen, T. (2005). Gains and losses: New forms of text, knowledge and learning. Computers and Composition, 22(1), 5-22. doi:10.1016/j.compcom.2004.12.004
Your commentary on “The Breakout of the Visual” is an interesting one. I definitely agree that emoticons is a new language and it has provided a new type of learning experience. Emoticons or other visuals can be used and many different forms, which is not possible in print. Here I would like to mention that web has also played its critical role in spread of mass literacy as now more have an access to printed words, with this advancement more and more people have become visual learners. I agree to Bolter who claims “visuals not only provide information but also to provide an appropriate visual experience and through that experience to dictate an appropriate reaction to the stories being told”. From my experience of teaching ELLs I can say for sure that pictures and visuals are very helpful in learning. It stimulates imagination and enables to process information faster. Students find it easier to communicate using visuals and further it is very helpful to organize their ideas.
Teaching becomes more engaging when what Bolter calls as “ease with which images and words can be combined”. Here I relate to what Bolter suggest as using visuals and pictures in different form like teaching them a new topic by showing picture and asking them to create a wordle. I did something similar with my students and it was extremely useful as it activates their prior knowledge as they brainstorm descriptive words and phrases to describe the picture.
I would like to end by saying that effective use of visuals integrated with text can improve the quality of learning.
References:
Bolter, J.D. (2001). Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print (2nd Ed.). Mahwah, N.J.: Lawrence Erlbaum.