Number of Posts: 15
Posts 11 - 15
Der Punkt stirbt aus – wegen Messengern
(The period is dying out – because of messenger)
Newspaper | 20 Minuten
Date | 12.6.2016
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | language threat, texting
Summary | Most people do not put a period at the end of their messages. It is pretty self-evident where sentences end in text messages, argues linguist David Crystal. When a user does add a period at the end of a message, it is a way to give the message more weight, to convey irony or discontent. An opposing trend can also be observed, namely over-punctualization by adding several exclamation or question marks. Teachers are being advised to be very cautious when correcting their students in cases like these.
Image Description | Series of two photographs: WhatsApp conversation and picture of Linguist David Crystal.
Image Tags | male(s), WhatsApp
Wir wollen zeigen, dass wir gut Englisch können
(We want to show that we are good at English)
Newspaper | 20 Minuten
Date | 29.4.2016
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | anglicisms, code-switching, emojis, texting, WhatsApp, youth
Summary | Young people increasingly communicate in English with each other (especially digitally). This has become a way to imitate their idols, who are largely English-speakers, and to exclude adults from their communicative code. Linguists are delighted by young people's creativity; they use different languages and emojis available to them even though their competence may not be perfect.
Image Description | Series of four screenshots of WhatsAspp conversations showing English/Swiss-German code-switching.
Image Tags | WhatsApp
Schulen verbieten Handys – sogar während Pausen
(Schools prohibit mobile phones – even during recess)
Newspaper | 20 Minuten
Date | 11.9.2016
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | digitized education, school, smartphone, technology-free
Summary | Several Swiss schools are prohibiting smartphone use at school, even outside of classes. Apparently, teachers think that students are no longer interacting with one another. This ban clearly clashes with the Swiss German curriculum reform “Lehrplan 21” which plans to occasionally introduce smartphone use in the classroom for school assignments. It does not make sense for a few schools to refuse to acknowledge what is now a reality, namely that people now frequently use their smartphones to communicate rather than talking face-to-face.
Image Description | Series of four photographs: group of teenagers sitting together and using their smartphone, and three portraits of male interviewees.
Image Tags | female(s), male(s), smartphone
Digitale Überdosis lässt Jugendliche abstürzen
(Digital overdose brings about the downfall of the youth)
Newspaper | 20 Minuten
Date | 5.7.2016
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Summary | A lot of young people are overwhelmed with the omnipresent internet access and pressure for constant availability. The quick style of digital communication is affecting their speech competence in face-to-face encounters. While many of them can develop a pragmatic relationship with new media, others cannot cope well with the addictive aspect of new media (e.g. games) and suffer from a lack of concentration. In order to prevent any negative outcomes, it is important for children to have role-models (i.e. parents) who are not constantly attached to their smartphone.
Image Description | Series of nine photographs: young female looking at ther smartphone, portraits of males and females interviewees, and pictures of indoor settings.
Image Tags | female(s), smartphone
Politiker auf Snapchat vertreiben junge Wähler
(Politicians on Snapchat are driving young voters away)
Newspaper | 20 Minuten
Date | 5.7.2016
Language | German
Country | Switzerland
Topic Tags | politics, Snapchat, youth
Summary | Digital communication has the same status/value as fashion or music among youth, experts say. Politicians are increasingly moving to Snapchat to reach young voters. Some people think it is smart of politicians to use trending new media but experts say that adults cannot successfully participate on Snapchat because young people have particular communication codes. They use memes and allusions to pop culture tropes to create simple humorous content which outsiders, i.e. adults, do not understand.
Image Description | Series of six photographs: Snapchat icon and male portraits.
Image Tags | male(s), Snapchat
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