Does language use on social media enhance or decay language use?
The English language. An infinite slip ‘n’ slide of development perpetuated not by a single force, but more the subconscious force of many. And I’m being selfish placing this description to English alone for it should be used to cover every language, but for now we shall focus on that. More specifically the recent development of the language of social media, or what your grandparents may call “those little yellow faces and nonsensical letters you kids use!”
I, being part of the iGeneration/Generation Z (post Millennial), have a bias on the argument as my use of emojis began at a young age and have no experience of a communicating life without them. Personally I believe strongly in the suggestion that the language we use on social media enhances both the emotions we can express in text as well as the efficiency of getting those emotions across. So let’s jump right into some hard evidence and examples before I get wrapped up in my opinions!
Emojis
They’re cute, they’re quirky, they can be extremely cringey and excessively used by both your mum, little cousins and student athletes. But whether you love them or hate them they’re everywhere, and we’ve all use them at some point in our life online. And they also play a huge role in the development of our text based communication.
Not only do emojis enhance a message and give the reader a clue as to the tone of the text, but they have significantly improved our generation's ability to distinguish and express emotions in our day to day lives! Professor Vyv Evans of Bangor University's School of Linguistics & English Language conducted a study into the question: Are Emojis The Future Of Communication? He found that because of the introduction of emojis into our communication online “72% of 18-25 year olds find it easier to express their emotions” and that they also believe “that emojis enable them to express themselves more effectively” than in text based chat without the icons.
Below is a picture taken from a group chat I am part of on Whatsapp. The last two texts solely use emojis to express the happiness I and another member expressed in words. And yet they are equally effective, and in my opinion they are slightly more effective than simple word based responses!
In my opinion, as an individual whose generation has known nothing but emojis and internet linguistics and dialects, emojis are enhancers to our everyday lives. Instead of having to write out an explanation for why you found something funny or how funny you found it, all that time can be cancelled out by sending one of these:
All the emotions one can express is so easily accessable to share to those you chat to online, and to those who believe that the little yellow faces us teenagers use are simply a lazy way out of using written language, why? Why are you trying to shame the development of a language that has been changed and remodeled thousands of times before? This is just another chapter in the progress of us as a species, and as a method of efficiently communicating emotions through an easier method than describing with words we should allow emojis and other new forms of communication to flourish.
What’s your opinion on emojis? Do you hate or love them? Use or ignore them? I’d love to hear from you, whether you agree or not! Thank you for your time!
References
B. (2015, June 12). Linguistics Research: Are emojis the future of communication? Retrieved October 19, 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca8t9JMxLwc
Generation Z. (2017, October 18). Retrieved October 19, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Z