Digital Discourse Database

Number of Posts: 10
Posts 1 - 10

«Sprache verfällt nicht»

(«Language does not deteriorate»)

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Newspaper | Appenzeller Zeitung
Date | 15.11.2016
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | code-switching, language threat, research/study, social media, youth
Summary | German linguist Eva Gredel claims that language does not deteriorate because of its informal use online. Internet language is more differentiated and divided in subcultures the language itself is not at risk. Many people fear this when they visit social media and see how people disregard conventions. This is because many people want to be innovative with their language online. Parents do not need to be worried about their children's language online - it is good if they learn various codes/registers of speaking.
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«Der Hass in den sozialen Medien ist nicht neu. Er ist sichtbarer»

(«The hate in social media is not new. It's just more visible»)

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Newspaper | Sonntagszeitung
Date | 12.3.2017
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | cyberbullying, politics, social media, youth
Summary | Pop-philosopher Richard David Precht talks about how hate comments are not a new development of the digital age. Back in the day people would call you on the phone and leave their hate comment or write letters. Today they are forever visible for everyone. Also the perception that young people are not as involved in politics and too preoccupied with social media is wrong, he says. The politically active in previous generations were just as much a minority.
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Logisches Pisa-Ergebnis

(Logical Pisa result)

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Newspaper | Appenzeller Zeitung
Date | 15.12.2016
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | childhood, research/study, school, social media, texting, word/writing, youth
Summary | The Pisa study shows that Swiss students have decreasing writing and reading skills. This is not suprising considering the high percentage of foreign heritage children in Switzerland, the many national languages and distinct dialects, and the fact that children learn two foreign languages while still in primary school - let alone the dubious influence of new media, texting, social media, and so on.
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Junge schreiben - mehr als je zuvor

(Youths write - more than ever)

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Newspaper | Appenzeller Zeitung
Date | 29.1.2016
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | code-switching, language threat, research/study, school, smartphone, social media, spelling, texting, word/writing, youth
Summary | There is a public hysteria about how youths are no longer capable of spelling correctly or writing appropriately and skillfully. All this is seen to be caused by new media such as smartphones. BUt young people today write far more than previous generations did: they post on social media and text every day. The only difference is that this writing culture is very informal and colloquial. Researchers however assume that one cannot simply state that this spoils their writing skills generally, most students are easily capable of code-switching from informal registers to a formal register appropriate for school.
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Facebook und WhatsApp in der EU erst mit 16 Jahren

(Facebook and WhatsApp only after 16 years of age in the EU)

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Newspaper | Der Bund
Date | 16.12.2015
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | law, Facebook, privacy, social media, youth
Summary | The EU has renewed the laws tied to data privacy originally made in 1995. The new laws now enable users of online platforms such as Facebook to sue these companies in their home country rather than having to travel. Also, some countries lift the legal age required to join social media from 13 to 16 years old. Young people under the age of 16 are legally not allowed to enter into a contract around data privacy with Facebook.
Image Description | Photograph of a hand holding a smartphone.
Image Tags | hand(s), logo, smartphone

Die optimierte Frau

(The optimized woman)

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Newspaper | die Weltwoche
Date | 8.1.2015
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | Instagram, selfie, social media, youth
Summary | New social media platforms such as Instagram perpetuate unrealistic beauty standards because the seeming effortlessness of the snaps is in reality highly staged. Cosmetic surgeons assume that the obsession with physical perfection is responsible for the fact that people nowadays are much less apprehensive to undergo cosmetic surgery. The article makes a reference to danah boyd’s book It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens.
Image Description | Selfie of Karlie Kloss and Taylor Swift
Image Tags | selfie

Les jeunes passent plus de temps sur le net

(Young people spend more time online)

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Newspaper | 20 minutes
Date | 9.11.2016
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | addiction, research/study, smartphone, social media, threat, youth
Summary | According to a study, young people spend an average of 2 hours and 30 minutes online during the week, and 3 hours and 40 minutes on the weekend. Also, young people cannot live without their smartphone. They don't usually use their phone to make phone calls or text; they rather use their phone for social media (e.g. Snapchat, Instagram). Even though young people spend a lot of time on their phone, they still meet with friends face-to-face. Smartphones do not replace physical relationships. Finally, families should have rules for new media use at home.
Image Description | Photograph of a group of teenagers (their faces are cut off from the picture); they are sitting next to each other using their phones.
Image Tags | smartphone

Tablets und Twitter –darauf stehen Junge

(Tablets and Twitter – that’s what young people like)

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Newspaper | 20 Minuten
Date | 30.10.2014
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | research/study, smartphone, social media, youth
Summary | A study conducted by the Zurich University of Applied Science shows that of 1000 informants between the ages of 12-19, 97% have a smartphone and only 1% a traditional mobile phone. Fewer young people use mp3 players than in recent years but listening to music still ranks high among young people. Social media use has increased considerably while different age groups target different platforms: 18-19 year-olds prefer Facebook while 14-15 year-olds use Twitter more profusely. Young people report having fewer offline hobbies than in recent years but still make sure to meet with friends on a daily basis.
Image Description | Photograph of two male teenagers wearing headphones; one of them is using a tablet and the other is eating a burger.
Image Tags | headphones, male(s), tablet

Jetzt ist es da, nun ist es weg

(Now it is here, now it is gone)

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Newspaper | Tages-Anzeiger
Date | 4.5.2016
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | Snapchat, social media, youth
Summary | 59% of 14 to 19-year olds use Snapchat (not specified whether in US/Switzerland/world-wide) while only 6% watch television daily. Snapchat is quickly catching up with Facebook in the amount of content created by users. While Snapchat has become famous for its function to send images with captions and drawings that self-destruct after a few seconds, many new formats are now available on Snapchat: users can create collage-like “Stories” of their recent snaps that stay on the platform for 24 hours. Corporations create high-quality digital content that they distribute through Snapchat’s ‘”Discover” function, and journalists document events in real time through “Live-Stories”.
Image Description | Video (interview) of Snapchat users, and series of screenshots of snaps.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), Snapchat

“Pic speech”: le parler ado

(“Pic speech": teen talk)

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Newspaper | La Tribune de Genève
Date | 30.5.2015
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | emojis, Facebook, language threat, selfie, Snapchat, social media, WhatsApp, youth
Summary | Nowadays teenagers mostly express themselves through visual modes (e.g. Instagram, WhatsApp, Facebook, Snapchat) and thus create their own language: “pic speech”. Images do not necessarily replace words; young people claim that words are still important since they contextualize images. Regarding emojis, teenagers use them for their “affective” purpose. This new language is a way for youth to become autonomous and emancipate themselves.
Image Description | Series of screenshots of different teenagers' snaps (selfie + Face Paint feature).
Image Tags | male(s), Snapchat

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