For task #6 (Emoji Story), I’ve chosen to link to Alexandra Scott’s Task 6: An Emoji Story task. I found Alexandra’s emoji story refreshing. Not only did she use a different WordPress theme I’ve not seen before, but Alexandra also chose to wait to share her emoji story until her reader finished reading her description first. I’d not thought of flipping my narrative around in order to save the emoji story until the end/bottom. I think this was a clever tactic on Alexandra’s part not only because it encourages readers to actually read through her descriptive text, but also because her movie was (for me) an easy guess. (Partly because I’m only now starting to emerge from watching all-Disney-all-the-time, but also because I’ve always been a fan of Disney movies).
Alexandra’s discussion surrounding image use in text-based narratives reflects my own in that we both do not believe that literacy has reached a point where we’re capable of using images (emoji) to exclusively convey the meaning of our messages. Perhaps we have forgotten how to interpret image-only stories (such as those that might’ve been painted on the inside of a cave wall). Nevertheless, it seems that Alexandra and I both feel that text still has a main role to play in storytelling and communicating.
Web Authoring Tool
At first I thought Alexandra’s blog was built using a completely different CMS than WordPress, but after spending more time on her site, I realized Alexandra was using a different theme than those I’ve used in the past. Placing each task or assignment on a different “card” (see image below), was super helpful when trying to navigate the site. I find it much more inviting than the theme I’ve chosen on my own site and am considering finding a way to incorporate more image-based navigation on my own site (if time permits). The multimodality of Alexandra’s site is appealing because it allows users to navigate either through more traditional text-based means (by clicking on the menus at the top) or by clicking on the image cards. Cool.
ETEC 540 Content page organization on Alexandra’s blog site.
The main drawback I experienced, however, was the lack of granularity in terms of navigating through the different components of the “ETEC 540 Content” link. Having sub-menus or a drop down menu from which to select one task over the other (rather than having to scroll through all the image cards and/or clicking to another page by selecting the page number on the bottom of the page), might make navigation easier for many users. Of course, since I’m also currently taking ETEC 565, I am also looking at the site through an accessibility lens and wonder if the image cards used in this particular WordPress theme would work with screen readers (or not).
Theoretical Underpinnings
As we’ve progressed through ETEC 540, we’ve followed the evolution of ‘text’ (in its different forms) through time. A consistent theme that emerges is a sense of fear that new technology will replace the old and that new forms of communication will render previous, older forms obsolete.
For Task 6, both Alexandra and I situated our emoji stories on Bolter’s (2001) Chapter 4, “The Breakout of the Visual” and his “fear that the cultural significance of printed books and of writing itself is threatened” (Bolter, 2001, p. 48). And that, through digital media, “[v]erbal text will be further marginalized in the quest for immediacy” (Bolter, 2001, p. 74). While I believe both Alexandra and I acknowledge some of the changes Bolter predicated with respect to text’s evolution through readers’/viewers’ need for information RIGHT NOW, we (also) both recognize that text is still just as important now as it has been since the Monks spent their days toiling in misery to copy texts under candlelight. That is, we do recognize that society now uses image far more often to convey messages (and to grab our attention immediately), however, we still heavily rely on text to tell the whole story.
Emoji Reflections
Task 6 encouraged us to recognize the increased importance image plays in our day-to-day communication with one another. Has text been relegated to a secondary role in comparison to image? Not necessarily. Image and text still seem to go hand-in-hand. Both Alexandra and I discuss whether these changes are good or bad, but perhaps that’s not the correct way to reflect on changes in modes or means of communication? Perhaps it’s neither bad nor good, it’s just….change. We adapt, we change; text and image ebb and flow in response to our changing needs as technology also changes and advances.
Reference
Chapter 4.Bolter, J. D. (2001). Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print (2nd ed.). Mahwah, N.J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. doi:10.4324/9781410600110
Emoji convey meaning: but can they tell the whole story?
Reflection
This was a tough challenge! I had to explore the different emoji options prior to deciding which movie, show or book I would ‘write’ about. Translating text-based thoughts into emoji was tremendously challenging for me: clearly my brain prefers words over images when I’m trying to convey meaning or tell a story. Is that because I grew up as computers were becoming a thing rather than being immersed in all-things digital as a child?
Creating the Story
I first examined the emoji available to represent the title of my potential artifact. Immediately, I had to discard one option because the Scottish flag wasn’t available. Once I found suitable emoji that could describe one potential option, I was able to make my selection.
….I did NOT choose my artifact based on whether this task would be easy (or not). In keeping with the spirit of the task, I selected the work I’d most recently ‘interacted with’ and settled in to create my emoji story. (I should also add that since this course seems to have become a family affair, my selection was closely monitored by my two kids).
I started thinking about the message I wanted to convey to my audience. How would I take the words I was imagining in my mind and display them as emoji on my screen? I quickly dismissed syllables and words as options on their own: there simply aren’t enough emoji to make a perfect word-for-word translation. However, I was able to combine ideas and words together; it took some thought, creativity, and quite a lot of time, but I think I got there in the end!
After building the title, I attempted to record the overall plot of my artifact using emoji, whilst simultaneously translating those images back into words in my head to make sure I designed the story correctly. Did the translation from emoji back to words make sense? Can my ‘reader’ make the same translation? And, is it necessary for others to make this translation at all (or is it just me)?
This week, Bolter (2001) discusses the shift in prominence of image over text. Where once images were surrounded by text, (suggesting Text was keeping Image in its place), with our shift toward online and digital media consumption, images (and videos) have become quite ubiquitous (Bolter, 2001). However, will images ever completely replace text? I don’t think so. At least, if it does, it will take some time. I don’t think I’m alone in my reliance on text to convey meaning (though of course a great image can sometimes convey meaning more effectively than words); however, I can certainly see the shift we’ve made in my lifetime from mainly text-based websites to more image-based sites that capture your interest and hold your attention.
What this task has shown me though, is that emoji alone cannot adequately tell the whole story; emoji are the visual/image equivalent to bullet-point notes: quick and to the point.
Reference
Chapter 4.Bolter, J. D. (2001). Writing space: Computers, hypertext, and the remediation of print (2nd ed.). Mahwah, N.J: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. doi:10.4324/9781410600110
