Digital Discourse Database

Number of Posts: 11
Posts 1 - 10

Modeberatung

(Fashion counseling)

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Newspaper | Die Zeit
Date | 1.8.2017
Language | German
Country | Germany
Topic Tags | artificial intelligence, emojis, Facebook, misunderstanding, WhatsApp
Summary | A start-up company from Berlin offers anonymous fashion counseling by an artificially intelligent chatbot. Their corporate partner is Zalando and the chatbot can be used on WhatsApp and Facebook messenger. It does not seem to work very well though. To the question "what goes well with blue pants?", it responds "blue pants". To the question "what's in fashion right now?", it responds with a sweating emoji.
Image Description | N/A

Mit dem Selfiestick im Späti rumeiern

(Egging around at the deli with the selfie stick)

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Newspaper | Tages-Anzeiger
Date | 9.8.2017
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | anglicisms, artificial intelligence, emojis, Facebook, fake news, language threat, selfie
Summary | The new German dictionary "Duden" has added 5000 new key words, many of which are originally English. Now, having been included in the most authoritative dictionary in German language, they are officially part of the German language as anglicisms. Such words include fake news, emoji, selfie, chatbot, and liking ("liken" in German with the English word stem "like" and the German infinitive verb ending "-en").
Image Description | N/A

Wie Facebook unsere Sprache ausspähen will

(How Facebook wants to spy on our language)

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Newspaper | Welt
Date | 11.3.2016
Language | German
Country | Germany
Topic Tags | emojis, Facebook, research/study, word/writing
Summary | Facebook is planning to systematically keep track of linguistic innovations on their platform. They want to compile a slang dictionary ("social glossary") with the freshest expressions. Linguists are also very interested in this project. American linguist Gretchen McCulloch has already posed the research question what verbs and nouns will enter our speech for the new Facebook emoji reactions. We already speak of likes and liking something but how will we speek of users reacting with sad or angy emojis?
Image Description | Image of an eye reflecting a Facebook like symbol and a tweet by linguist Gretchen McCulloch.
Image Tags | Facebook, Twitter

Für mehr Gefühle werfen Sie bitte eine Münze ein

(For more emotions please insert coin)

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Newspaper | Die Zeit
Date | 24.2.2016
Language | German
Country | Germany
Topic Tags | (mental) health, emojis, Facebook
Summary | Facebook has now expanded their "like" function to five emotions depicted by emojis: love, sadness, anger, laughing, and suprise. What new possibilities does this give us? Now we can know when we should not ask people for a favor and when they have PMS. Our therapists can monitor our emotional development at all times.
Image Description | N/A

Emoji: Rolle vorwärts

(Emoji: rolling forward)

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Newspaper | Die Zeit
Date | 16.2.2016
Language | German
Country | Germany
Topic Tags | emojis, Facebook, threat
Summary | A bunch of new emojis have been included in the latest Apple update: the taco, a lion, and the eye-roll emoji which is the most popular of them all. In our age where online language is dominated by hyperbole, that is quite calm for a change. Simultaneously, Facebook enhances the like function with six emotions depicted by emojis.
Image Description | A bunch of eye-roll emojis with a few different emojis in between.
Image Tags | emojis

Jetzt kommt die Sticker-Schwemme

(The sticker flood is on its way)

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Newspaper | Tages-Anzeiger
Date | 15.11.2016
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | abbreviations, emojis, Facebook, language threat, marketing, social media
Summary | Emoticons (f.i. ":-D") and abbreviations (f.i. "LOL") have trickled down from "geek speak" and established themselves in the mainstream. Emojis are nowadays ever present in our digital communication as well as in other arenas such as film or advertising. Now various social media platforms, among them Facebook, offer users various palettes of stickers. They are larger versions of emojis and are sent as an image file rather than included on the keyboard as a letter. Because many sticker palettes need to be purchased, a whole economy is beginning to form: The Japanese messaging app Line has sold over $250 mio worth of stickers last year. We do not need to fear that emojis and co. will replace language as we know it.
Image Description | Commodified emojis in various forms (as balls, as tattoos, as bed sheets, as food, on clothing, as masks, etc.) and Facebook messenger chats using/purchasing sticker collections.
Image Tags | emojis, Facebook, male(s), social media

Facebook testet neues Symbol: Gefällt mir nicht!

(Facebook is testing new symbol: dislike!)

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Newspaper | Berliner Morgenpost
Date | 7.3.2017
Language | German
Country | Germany
Topic Tags | emojis, Facebook
Summary | Facebook is testing a new reaction feature: a downwards-facing thumb. The dislike button has continuously been requested by Facbook users since the advent of the platform. Mark Zuckerberg had however always refused to integrate a dislike button because it would bring a negative vibe on Facebook.
Image Description | N/A

Ein Hashtag allein ist kein Zeichen für Mitgefühl

(A Hashtag is not a sign of empathy)

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Newspaper | Die Zeit
Date | 24.12.2016
Language | German
Country | Germany
Topic Tags | emojis, Facebook
Summary | The recent terrorist attacks at a christmas market in Berlin have prompted a flood of empathetic social media postings. It is questionable how empathetic people really are when they showcase their solidarity on social media, say psychologists. They may just be submitting to peer pressure and conforming to what appears to be the popular, appropriate reaction - namely posting on social media.
Image Description | Getty image of a solidarity gathering with a woman holding a heart sign.
Image Tags | female(s)

Die unsympathische Trauer-Pop-Kultur in den sozialen Medien

(The uncongeneal pop culture of grieving on social media)

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Newspaper | Berliner Zeitung
Date | 24.12.2017
Language | German
Country | Germany
Topic Tags | emojis, Facebook, social media
Summary | Social media has led to a distasteful culture of showcased grieving on social media. Facebook is quick to prepare an "in safety" option so that people close to the site of a tragedy can mark themselves as survivors. Within minutes, artwork related to the particular even is circulating on the internet and people change it to their profile images. All of this does not help the victims so it is just a staged display of emotions for appearing considerate.
Image Description | PrayForBerlin artwork.
Image Tags | hashtag

Facebook unterscheidet "Lieben" und "Liken"

(Facebook differentiates between "love" and "like")

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Newspaper | Bayerischer Rundfunk
Date | 28.2.2017
Language | German
Country | Germany
Topic Tags | emojis, Facebook
Summary | Facebook has updated its "like" feature a year ago and now users have the opportunity to choose from a range of emojis to react to a post: love, laugh, suprised, sad, angry. Because this requires more clicks than a simple like, it can be inferred that users care more strongly about a post that they "reacted" to with an emoji. Facebook's algorithm is geared towards showing users much more content similar to the posts they reacted to.
Image Description | Photograph of a dog in a cone with the sad reaction emoji enlarged underneath.
Image Tags | emojis, Facebook

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