Different Languages for Different Participatory Media Platforms
Today I’d like to point out some things I noticed while going through my Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, etc. I noticed that I switch the way I type as well as post things, like on Twitter I can abbreviate words and seems to be more about sharing thoughts/feelings/emotions, Snapchat is more casual for friends so it feels more relaxed, Facebook is where I tend to write properly and where I raise awareness to certain issues and Instagram is more for the aesthetic feel and not as much about captions. I thought that wow these are all different “languages” we have adapted to by using a variety of social media platforms and I never even think twice about it or how I switch the use of these “languages” around. It is so fascinating to think that there is the thing of languages we use while using different social medias and how we have to master and learn these “languages” just like any other thing in the world.
While reading his book, Lindgren states, “Second, there is the symbolic level, at which every medium is constituted by a certain systemic set of rules and codes in the form of vocabulary, grammar and other conventions. While a director creating a film has to master and relate to certain cinematic vocabularies, posting an Instagram photo might similarly require knowledge of conventions such as using hashtags and applying filters” (30).