When reading this I couldn’t stop thinking about texting. I can text people multiple forms of combinations of numbers and letters which for turns into not a symbol but a meaning. For example “< style="mso-bidi-font-size:13.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:Verdana; color:#15140F">Drucker and McGann’s article stated “physicality of textual marks and shapes disappear in an act of reading determined to highlight certain kinds of conceptual references (content)." Texting is a fast way to communicate but it limits how much you can say at once. I find it helpful and necessary to have a sub category of “text words” to sum up everything in something short. For example feelings and getting them across to the other person you are texting. When in person this is easy; facial feature, body language and the tone of your voice can get a point across. However when silent and limited to a small phone screen this is proven a lot more difficult. Hence the facial icons. These little shapes, lines, letters and numbers put together create whole emotions, concepts and ideas. Take a “: )” this can mean more than a circle, two dots and a line. This simply transforms into the concept of being sad, mourning, upset ect…I believe this is an example of how we as readers see these images we don’t see them for the symbols they are but for what they represent. The basic or actually huge emotional land they cover. I personally am a huge texter (who isn’t now-a-days) and when I get a “: )” or a “<>
I think you brought up a great point. Up until the advent of instant messaging and text messaging written, two-way, communication was limited to letters. Now when written communication can be so instant to the point where it is almost a spoken conversation, we need ways to convey emotions. I never thought about the the meanings the emoticons can convey until now. :)
ReplyDeleteSure. This is a good start -- would have liked to see the how and why [this came to be] discussed, and a direct tie to something specific in the text.
ReplyDeleteWhen I read the line "The presentational form of texts and images usually masques their logical operations in a surface rhetoric that dominates and controls our conscious attention,” from Drucker and McGann, I thougt of texting too and how the text in these messages masques the type of rhetoric that we get from the unseen things like body language and facial expressions. This is why we started using symbols like the smiley face so that we get these rhetorical aspects that we would otherwise be missing.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. Emoticons are a great way of expressing feelings in a fast and simple way. Texting can get a bit tiring especially when there is a long story behind what someone is feeling. A simple emoticon with a short message about story time later, will give the reader a general feel of what kind of story it will be about.
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