Digital Discourse Database

Number of Posts: 8
Posts 1 - 8

Can a GIF Work Better Than Words?

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Newspaper | The New York Times
Date | 21.9.2015
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | emojis, GIFs, language threat, word/writing
Summary | An interviewee claims that using GIFs allows her to express complex feelings and emotions in a a couple seconds. GIFs are becoming more and more popular (i.e. on Facebook, Tumblr, etc.). Words and emojis are becoming old-fashioned.
Image Description | GIF representing three men looking at their smartphone.
Image Tags | gifs, male(s), smartphone

When things are so bad you have no words, don’t reach for an emoji

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Newspaper | The Guardian
Date | 13.10.2015
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | emojis, word/writing
Summary | Some people didn't like the fact that the newspaper USA Today decided to add a little emoji next to one of its editions' front-page stories. The author of this Guardian article thinks that it was inappropriate to use a crying face emoji next to a story about an American hero who was stabbed. Many people use emojis to add context to their messages and to show some emotion. However, emojis are also limited. The author claims that they work well with positive statements, but not with negative ones. This is due to their "inherent ridiculousness". Finally, the author is not worried about the future of words, but she wants to warn people and tell them that if they can't find the right words, it's better not to say anything rather that using an emoji.
Image Description | Screenshot of the front page of USA Today, screenshot of a tweet about the front page, and series of five yellow-face emojis.
Image Tags | emojis, newspaper, Twitter

Emojis: The death of the written language?

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Newspaper | CNBC
Date | 24.6.2015
Language | English
Country | U.S.
Topic Tags | emojis, language threat, misunderstanding, word/writing
Summary | People are using more and more emojis, which can be seen as a threat to written language. Indeed, people are starting to replace words with emojis in order to communicate a feeling or emotion, and according to the author of the article, this is worrying. Moreover, using emojis can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunication. Finally, if school start to incorporate emojis in their curriculum, it can be perceived as a regress back to hierogylphics.
Image Description | Getty image of a keyboard composed of emojis, and image of a series of Apple emojis representing diversity.
Image Tags | emojis, keyboard

Por primera vez, la palabra del año es un emoji

(For the first time, the word of the year is an emoji)

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Newspaper | infobae
Date | 18.11.2015
Language | Spanish
Country | Argentina
Topic Tags | emojis, word/writing
Summary | The Oxford Dictionary chose an emoji as the word of the year because it reflects people's state of mind and preocupations in 2015. Emojis are not only used by young people; it is also a new form of expression that can break down language barriers.
Image Description | Image of the Oxford Dictionary word of the year: the face with tears of joy emoji
Image Tags | emojis

Emoji is named as Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year

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Newspaper | Mirror
Date | 17.11.2015
Language | English
Country | UK
Topic Tags | emojis, word/writing
Summary | The "face with tears of joy" emoji was named word of the joy by the Oxford Dictionary. Emojis are symbols of today's culture and communication, and are replacing traditional forms of communication. There is nowadays a focus on visual communication. Emojis are a new form of communication that allow people to express their emotions, and to go beyond linguistic barriers.
Image Description | Digital image of the "face with tears of joy" emoji, and photograph of a man reading the Oxford Dictionary of English.
Image Tags | dictionary, emojis, male(s)

Schreiben: Die Handschrift verkümmert

(Writing: Handwriting is hampered)

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Newspaper | Neue Zürcher Zeitung (NZZ)
Date | 1.3.2015
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | language threat, research/study, texting, word/writing
Summary | We are living in an age writing renaissance; no generation before us has written this profusely. We are always texting someone or updating our social media statuses and yet, ironically, we are losing a staple of writing culture: our handwriting. Researchers are debating whether this is a problem or not, but the fact is that many neuroscientific studies show that humans learn better while writing by hand rather than typing. The abbreviated, informal, emoticon-filled writing style of WhatsApp and co. may be corrupting writing culture at large.
Image Description | Photograph of a young child (girl) typing on a laptop.
Image Tags | computer/laptop, female(s)

Kritiken

(Critiques)

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Newspaper | die Weltwoche
Date | 19.11.2015
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | emojis, word/writing
Summary | This year, the Oxford English Dictionary has proclaimed a non-word the word of the year: the laughing emoji with tears of joy. The reason why a non-word has been chosen as word of the year is that emojis have become a significant part of contemporary communication and that they overcome language barriers.
Image Description | N/A

L'usage des mots

(The use of words)

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Newspaper | Le Temps
Date | 13.2.2015
Language | French
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | texting, threat, word/writing
Summary | People tend to misuse certain words in order to be politically correct, but this is not necessarily a good thing. For example, saying “Daech” instead of “Islamic state” leads to a denial of any religious affiliation –in this case: Islam. People also intentionally misuse certain words, which is the consequence of a shrunken vocabulary imbued with text message features. As a result, emotions and thoughts are not as rich.
Image Description | N/A
Image Tags | female(s)

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