Cacophony and Confusion: Language & Social Media

This week, we begin a series of excerpts from the book, STREAMING: Volume 1; #Social Media, Mobile Lifestyles, written by Dr Marcia Forbes. It artfully combines relevant and often-humorous short stories to explain and support her research findings about what youths do online. Here, online refers to the Internet and cellphones. Hundreds of 17-to 30-year-olds from four countries describe how they use Facebook and Twitter and what their mobile phone means to them.

Kamla is from India, so when I saw her DWL tweet, I assumed it was something extracted from her native land. She did maintain strong links with her tweeps on the subcontinent. OK, to save you from the confusion, I suffered during my first weeks on Twitter, let me tell you early, one's followers on this social network are referred to as tweeps. Anyway, as I applied my best phonics to DWL, it drawled out into dewaal. Perhaps related to dewali, I surmised. But the context of Kamla's tweet just did not match. It had nothing to do with the Indian festival of lights.

For days, I agonised as to what DWL could mean.

At the same time, I started to notice it in tweets from others. Its use in varied contexts baffled me. Perhaps it was not of Indian extract after all.

As I self-consciously waded around in my new-found Twitter stream, I also noticed WTF. What on earth was that? Kamla was using it too. Perhaps a 'social media' lunch with her would help. Based on her tweets, I knew she loved food and, as college students in the United States would say, "Free food is good".

nonchalant manner

For those of you still unclear about this tweeting thing, please be advised that, as at late August 2011, the American version of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary added the word 'tweet'. 'Tweet' is both a noun and a verb. To tweet, as in the verb, is an action which involves writing and posting the tweet. The thing that is written becomes a tweet, the noun. Ergo, we tweet our tweets.

She tends to be quite matter-of-fact, even dry about certain things. So, in a somewhat nonchalant manner over her plate of ital stew, Kamla replied, "DWL? That's dead with laugh, Marcia." OK then, I thought, "But what about WTF?" At this stage, Kamla looked at me like a patient mother. "That's what the f" (the infamous four-letter-word).

"NOoooo, that canNOT be!" I argued like an innocent child. "Surely, there must be another meaning since its use is soooooo widespread."

"No," Kamla insisted. "That IS what it means, Marcia." (Again, in that patient, motherly manner.) Lest she thought me dense, I did not ask her about FML. That was done via direct message, DM for the initiated, to another tweep. OMG (Ooh my God or gosh/goodness for the more religious/polite), noooooo, that cannot be!! #Fail. Why would sooooo many tweeps want to ftheir lives? What did their lives ever do to them that they should be so abusive of it? Confusion and cacophony abounded but I was determined to learn.

This book is available in hard-copy format in Jamaica and as an eBook at http://www.amazon.com/STREAMING-Social-Mobile-Lifestyles-ebook/dp/B00806....

Dr Marcia Forbes is a media specialist and author. Her first book, 'Music, Media & Adolescent Sexuality in Jamaica' (2010), is available at http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&fie... and in book stores throughout Jamaica. Tags/Keywords Social media, Twitter, tweeting, hashtag, search engine, youth culture, Marcia Forbes, http://www.marciaforbes.com/