Emoji in Communication - Essay Example

Dear Fabio, Nice work so far. Keep focusing the conversation, thinking about what’s the conversation you’re wanting to have and whose the audience towhom you’re writing. You’re sources seem solid, and you seem to reasonably summarize those sources; however, you should use more textual evidence, and keep working on using voice markers to differentiate your voice from your source’s. Good start. Fabio Professor College Writing 19 March 2015 Emoji in Communication: An Annotated Bibliography Wroclawski, Reviewed.com. "Emoji: Passing Fad or New Universal Language?" USA Today. Gannett, 25 Aug. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. (PB) According to Wroclawski, Emoji usage has gained substantial popularity of late. The popularity informs his decision to call it a fad. However, concern has emerged over their sustainability in communication. As universal as they may be, they can be frequently misinterpreted. Misinterpretation renders communication ineffective. Failure for harmonization mechanisms to ensure homogenous interpretation of texts spells doom for the emoji. On the other hand, he expresses optimism over prospects of the emoji developing above the setbacks to unify the world. He calls this the universal language that does not isolate between race or nation. Interpretation of emoji does not require any special decoding skills. Wroclawski rightfully observes that, even when the interpretation may not homogenous it only takes a short period to achieve that homogeneity. Therefore, emoji retains the potential to surpass other modes of relaying information as the most popular one. Sternberg, Adam. "Smile, Youre Speaking Emoji: The Rapid Evolution of a Wordless Tongue." Daily Intelligencer. 16 Nov. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2015 (PA) According to a New York newspaper, over 470 million joy emoji are being used on twitter currently. A new language is sprouting in the world. The new language makes minimal use of the tongue and mouth. It is a language that a large part of the world subscribes to, as very few barriers to its communication are experienced. The language of emoji and emoticons is a reality linguists live by and are even delving into research to discover its origin and its other distinct features. It has bridged the gap of communication where formal education failed as it does not alienate or isolate the learned from the illiterate. At a glance, the widespread usage of emoji as a medium of communication strikes one as wave of a revolution that has not yet reached its maturity. The author uses the word evolution to bring into perspective the massive changes emoji cause. It, therefore, has to be dealt with in a tactful way, as the certainty of its benefits or otherwise has yet to be established with confidence. Conventional wisdom/other perspective Arias, Aurora. Emoticons. Viejo San Juan, P.R.: Terranova Editores, 2007. Print (PB) According to Arias, it is significant to understand the use of emoji as a form of communication founded on the definition of emoticons though they have often been misunderstood. They are computer generated icons that serve to convey emotions in a non-verbal way. Additionally, they have been in existence since time immemorial and will continue to be. The icons serve the purpose of enhancing meaning or expressing the emotion which cannot be reasonably explained verbally. But, even when the emotions can be expressed, emoticons can still come in handy as a complement to reinforce the message. The writer also makes mention of the extent to which they can be used. In a broad sense, they can be used anywhere and anytime, though conventionally, they have been associated with distance texting Marsden, Rhodri. The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 1 May 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. (SA) The above literature makes an enquiry into the value addition of the emoji. The piece has demanded that a line should be drawn between the simply cumbersome and the helpful and useful. Marsden has categorically stated that emoji have been seen as mere decorations that add little taste to the language of an individual. The piece is critical because emojis are more than just decorations and tends to a bias against emoji. According to Marsden, it may be true that the emoji are a nuisance, especially when used in the wrong way, but in another light, they sometimes help in comprehension of information by making it easier to understand. The large herd of people using the icons can be sufficient proof that there has to be some form of utility derived from their usage. Nonetheless, Marsden brings to light the fact that use of emoji affects how we communicate. Rivera, Krisela. "The Effects of Emotional Icons on Remote Communication." Effects of Emotional Icons on Remote Communication. Web. 18 Mar. 2015 (SA) Emoji and emoticons have in their own rights mechanisms of relaying information. Communication elicits a reaction and as such, the above literature looks at the emotions elicited by the emoji in the absence of formal conventional communication. This can be significant in determining how emoji affects how we communicate. According to the writer, face to face communication has been preferred to other forms because of the human touch. A letter does not trigger the same emotion such as direct talk. Telling a partner you miss the on letter is less emotional than on direct talk, the use of emoji in remote communication reintroduces the aspect of humanity and emotional attachment to the involved parties. Use of emoji evokes feelings and this eradicates the emotional rigidity associated with distant communication. My perspective. Robb, Alice. "How Using Emoji Makes Us Less Emotional." 1 July 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. (SE) Alice Robb expresses her indifference towards emoji. Robb says as much as its benefits may be hyped, such as they portray the message better than words, emoji reduce human beings to emotionless objects. According to her, people get into the habit of misrepresenting their emotions to portray what they think ought to happen or be, rather than what is. For example, it has been common to see people use joy emoji or those of extreme ecstasy pictorials when, in fact, the contrary can also be true. Some people have come to like texting more than direct communication. One of the reasons for that glitch has been the liberty to misrepresent one’s emotions through use of emoji. Repeated misrepresentations induce resistance to actual emotions and subsequently render an individual emotionless. Derks, D., A. E. R. Bos, and J. Von Grumbkow. "Emoticons and Online Message Interpretation." Social Science Computer Review: 379-88. Print. (SA) 31 Mar. 2009 The above piece of literature is a scholarly examination of the meanings people attach to emoji. Whether an icon receives the same online interpretation or a divergent one is dependent on several factors. The author therefore looks at the factors that inform our interpretations. Depending on what an individual has in mind, for instance sadness the mode of interpretation may be subjective. Additionally, the environment and daily routine also creates a variation of the decoding process. Another reason put forward for the mismatch of meanings can be the close similarity of the graphical icons. However, cases of convergence have occurred in meanings as well. The Communicative Functions of Emoticons in Workplace E-Mails: :-). The Communicative Functions of Emoticons in Workplace E-Mails: :-). Web. 18 Mar. 2015. (PE) The use of emoji can be localized. In cases where the parties share the same experiences, it can be an effective mode of communication. The writer implies that emoji has the potential of fashioning the way people communicate. When used repeatedly, they become habit. Emoticons. Emoticons. Web. 18 Mar. 2015 (SB) Radiolab Blogland Emoticons describe the genesis of emoji. It gives a chronological account of how they come into being. The author insinuates that their graphical appearance has been more appealing than ordinary texting. Additionally, they come in diverse shapes thus predisposes the user to a wide range to choose from. A case of limited icons against an unlimited number of emotions would imply repetition in the usage. The author employs descriptive skills that analyze the being of emoji. The work gives insights into the origin of the emoji and how they have developed over time. Moreover, he explains the divergence in the opinions of linguists regarding their acceptability. In some quarters, they have been assumed to be beneficial whereas others argue against their existence. The bottom line, however, they cannot be ignored. Other Logos and Ethos. Bar Charts, Inc. IM Abbreviations, Texting & Emoticons. Boca Raton, Fla.: Bar Charts, 2009. Print (SA) The author makes a correlative analysis between texting and the use of the emoji. The circumstances within which an individual finds himself when texting may induce him to use emoji. For instance, a smiley face can be used to show happiness or joy in the sender of the message. In a broad sense, the author alludes to the developmental factors of the emoji. Quite evidently, necessity appears to be one of those, as well as attending to the needs of the less privileged e.g. deaf Necessity arises in the event of scarcity of time. A single emoji can convey a message that so many words could be used to convey. Furthermore, when writing a message to an individual with low literacy levels, one can just send an emoji to achieve communication. The writer cites more factors such as physical fatigue and precision. One could use a sad face emoji to express their feelings in a case they would have to use too many words to pass the same message. Park, Jaram, and Clay Fink. Proceedings of the Seventh International AAAI Conference on Weblogs and Social Media. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. (SA) The pair of authors makes an enquiry into the cross-culture effects of emoji. They highlight its growth and consequential stretch into audiences with varying cultural values. In this paper, the authors make a scholarly investigation to establish the effect on the semantics, social and cultural usage of the emoticons and emoji. The paper suggests that communication seems localized at the initial stages. At that level, the participants tend to be few but do increase exponentially over time. The gist of the paper is what happens when cross-border and subsequent cross-culture interactions occur. The paper makes extreme use of analytical skills to isolate effects from a complex system of interactions. It further categorizes the effects for ease of understanding. Gacey, Hannah,” The effect of smiley emoticons and their possible impact on the work place” Gacey examines the usage of the smiley in the work place. In the first place her scope had been too narrow as she only considered one of the many emoji in use. Very little objectivity is evident in her choice of the smiley and not for instance the sad one. She, however, conducts an examination of the effects of its usage in detail. Given that the work place is a formal environment, it is expected that little informal communication prevails. However, emoji have breached that rule to forge close working relationships. According to the author, when a work mate sees that icon pop up on their screen, some level of endearing develops between them and the sender. Subsequently, overall organizational efficiency is observed due to the persistent harmony brought about by the emoji. This means that the functions of the emoji have not yet been exhausted. They could be used in future even for conflict resolution. Works cited Arias, Aurora. Emoticons. Viejo San Juan, P.R.: Terranova Editores, 2007. Print (PB) Bar Charts, Inc. IM Abbreviations, Texting & Emoticons. Boca Raton, Fla.: Bar Charts, 2009. Print (SA) Derks, D., A. E. R. Bos, and J. Von Grumbkow. "Emoticons and Online Message Interpretation." Social Science Computer Review: 379-88. Print. (SA) Differences in Emoticons across Cultures. International AAAI Conference on Weblogs and Social Media: n. p. Web. 19 Mar. 2015 Emoticons. Emoticons. Web. 18 Mar. 2015(SB) Radiolab Blogland Marsden, Rhodri. The Independent. Independent Digital News and Media, 1 May 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2015. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/features/more-than-words-are-emoji-dumbing-us-down-or-enriching-our-communications-8610767.html (SA) Gacey, Hannah. 1 Jan. 2013. Web. 19 Mar. 2015. . Park, Jaram, and Clay Fink. Proceedings of the Seventh International AAAI Conference on Weblogs and Social Media. Web. 18 Mar. 2015. www.aaai.org/ocs/index.php/ICWSM/ICWSM13/paper/view/6132 (SA) Rivera, Krisela. "The Effects of Emotional Icons on Remote Communication." Effects of Emotional Icons on Remote Communication. Web. 18 Mar. 2015 (SA) Robb, Alice. "How Using Emoji Makes Us Less E Sternberg, Adam. “Smile, Youre Speaking Emoji: The Rapid Evolution of a Wordless Tongue." Daily Intelligencer. 16 Nov. 2014. Web. 19 Mar. 2015. motional." 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 19 Mar. 2015. . (SE) Sternberg, Adam. "Smile, Youre Speaking Emoji: The Rapid Evolution of a Wordless Tongue." Daily Intelligencer. 16 Nov. 2014. Web. 19 Mar. 2015. http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2014/11/emojis-rapid-evolution.html The Communicative Functions of Emoticons in Workplace E-Mails: :-). The Communicative Functions of Emoticons in Workplace E-Mails: :-). Web. 18 Mar. 2015. (PE) Wroclawski, Reviewed.com. "Emoji: Passing Fad or New Universal Language?" USA Today. Gannett, 25 Aug. 2014. http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/08/25/emoji-passing-fad-or-new-universal-language/14561785/Web. 18 Mar. 2015. (PB) Park, Jaram, Barash, Vladimir, Fink, Clay, AND Cha, Mee young. "Emoticon Style: Interpreting Read More