LibraryAware Dr. Alisa Freedman: Emoji, Culture, and Communication

Learn more about the topics featured in the lecture series In Conversation With Experts and Enthusiasts, sponsored by Eugene Public Library Foundation and Eugene Public Library.

Click items on this list to borrow them free with your library card online or in print. Some of these resources are available free to all on the internet.

This list is created in connection with Dr. Alisa Freedman's talk on January 8, 2020.

See the schedule for future talks here.

Suggested Articles

Cultural literacy in the empire of emoji signs: Who is crying with joy?

Unicode emoji, originating in Japan but expanded through worldwide usage, is a means to assess how the globalization of Japanese popular culture promotes cultural literacy and awareness of multiculturalism. Emoji reveal discrimination and diversity within cultures, but emoji alone are “unreadable.” They need to be used together with established modes of expression to avoid misunderstandings.

First Monday: Peer-reviewed journal on the Internet

First Monday is one of the first openly accessible, peer–reviewed journals on the Internet, solely devoted to the Internet. Volume 23, Number 9 from September 2018 is a special issue on Emoji Epistemology.

Guess the book titles using only emoji

Thinky face, thought bubble, book. I’ve combined my love for bar trivia, my knowledge of literature, and a millennial penchant for communicating solely in emojis to present to you my life’s work: a “Guess the Book Titles Using Only Emoji” quiz.

Meet the shadowy overlords who approve emojis

An estimated 74% of Americans use emojis every day. Yet, few people know where emojis come from. Who designs them? Who decides which new emojis get added each year? Can anyone suggest an emoji? Or is there some kind of emoji illuminati that calls the shots?

Suggested Website

Submitting emoji proposals

Anyone can submit a proposal for an emoji character, but the proposal needs to have all the right information for it to have a chance of being accepted. This page describes the process of submitting a proposal, including how to submit a proposal, the selection factors that need to be addressed in each proposal, guidelines on presenting evidence of frequency, and the process and timeline for acceptance.

Suggested Books

Because internet : understanding the new rules of language
by Gretchen McCulloch

A linguistically informed look at how our digital world is transforming the English language. Language is humanity's most spectacular open-source project, and the internet is making our language change faster and in more interesting ways than ever before. Internet conversations are structured by the shape of our apps and platforms, from the grammar of status updates to the protocols of comments and @replies. Linguistically inventive online communities spread new slang and jargon with dizzying speed.

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