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Stylized typing: An approach to the annotation of dynamic digitally mediated communication in fiction

Reichelt, Susan

Publisher
Zenodo
DOI
10.5281/zenodo.17523716
Repository
zenodo.org
Language
en

Abstract

The social act of texting in film and television is introduced either through over-the-shoulder perspectives showing hand-held devices and typing fingers, or through overlays that include the platforms’ layout with dynamic messages and dynamic visual cues. Over the past years, general social media literacy has established this form of storytelling as a meaningful form of dialogue, further explored in [Reichelt forthcoming]. The novel meaning-making potential of dynamic texting on screen is the display of the editing process, specifically, the conceptualization of dialogue parts being drafted and ultimately discarded and un-realised in the social interaction. This visual form of an aside works without breaking the fourth wall and introduces character-authored language that is generally not included in linguistic corpora on tv and film language, nor in subtitles of the media.This project introduces an annotation framework applied to such diegetic overlays, informed by previous work on dynamic contexts (Wildfeuer & Pollaroli 2018) and computer mediated communication (CMC) as a sociolinguistic resource for identity work (cf. Ilbury 2020). Using the example of integrated CMC in the Netflix series ‘Heartstopper’, I showcase the various modal features at play, specifically focusing on the challenge of representing the message drafting and editing as a (social) process. Relevant resources include the linguistic messaging, the temporal pacing of both drafting and editing, visual cues and interaction with the respective platform affordances, e.g., affect in the “is typing” notification on the receiver’s end. The aim is to establish the particular functional roles of multimodal CMC as dialogue in the construction of characters and narrative. References Ilbury, Christian. 2020. “Sassy Queens”: Stylistic orthographic variation in Twitter and the enregisterment of AAVE. Journal of Sociolinguistics 24(2). 245–264. https://doi.org/10.1111/josl.12366 Reichelt, Susan. forthcoming. Digitally Mediated Communication in Telecinematic Discourse. In: Valentin Werner, Andrew Moody, and Cecelia Cutler (eds.), Sociolinguistics of Pop Culture. Cambridge University Press. Wildfeuer, Janina & Chiara Pollaroli. 2018. When context changes: The need for a dynamic notion of context in multimodal argumentation. International Review of Pragmatics. Brill 10(2). 179–197. https://doi.org/10.1163/18773109-01002003 Media reference Oseman, Alice (creator). 2022–present. Heartstopper [series]. See-Saw Films.

Full text

mo da l shi f t incoming message sound opens scene typing sounds as nod to audience to pay attention to screen p a rti c ip a tion l a y e r & s ce n e p ac in g hesitation and initial drafts as audiencedirected turns diegetic setting is maintained while internal character is shared e moji r e p e rtoir e a s c h a r ac t e r & s e ri e s styl e emoji variation: profile pictures, social media status, etc. as character exposition a uthor ed y e t not utt e r ed DMC tells us what a character deems sayable in context it emphasises the character’s affective positioning & interactional style It’s okay!! That seems like a kinda serious situation Please don’t talk to Ben anymore lol Are you feeling okay? An approach to the annotation of dynamic digitally mediated communication in fiction Susan Reichelt ab str ac t, r efe r e n ce s & c ont ac t: STYLIZED TYPING What functions exactly? What’s the study about? This study assumes that digitally mediated language, such as dynamic on-screen texting, contributes to character-authored language and its many functions. What’s the most interesting part of this? What’s new? Texting is shown as over-the-shoulder or superimposed on screen. Multimodal cues may include typing sounds, read receipts, or ‘is typing’ indications. The dynamic composing of DMC as a social practice gives us new insights into characters and their relationships. annotation layers by character t e xtu a l c u e s spok e n d i a lo g u e c h a r ac t e radd r e ss ed a u d i e n ce - add r e ss ed monolo g u e typ ed d i a lo g u e r ea lis ed d r af t ed visual cues gaze interaction type focus/ perspective/ shot audio cues intradiegetic sound & sound effects extradiegetic soundtrack So far, most linguistic studies investigating tv and film have focused on spoken language while conversely acknowledging the centrality of multimodality in these media. This study focuses on the meaning-making potential of stylised written language as character and story building. construction of character, settings, happenings, control of viewer evaluation, creativity, ideological representations, authenticity, continuity (Bednarek 2018; Reichelt forthcoming) It allows audiences to see characters draft turns on screen without necessarily realising, i.e., sending it. DMC thus provides a form of aside or stream of consciousness that is multimodally achieved and is meaningful for the establishment of character. observations: Hea rtstopp e r (2022) . . .