Hybrid Selves:
A Conversation

Research, Typography, Photography, Digital

31–10–2023

Details:
Transcript (A):
Transcript (B):
Gestures:
Do you think(1.) people communicate differently over text as opposed to in-person; like, do(2.) you think you’d say the same stuff over text as you would in person?

Mh-hmm.




Uh.

It doesn’t matter, yeah.
Mode of expression.(8.)

Mm.
Yeah and I guess because the methods(11.) available to us now, as opposed to even five years ago, have become a lot more nuanced and complex. Like,(12.) I’m now thinking, and I’d like to hear your thoughts on this: in the same way(13.) that there are all these non-verbal modes of communication(14.) that influence the context and the message, like gestures,(15.) tone of voice, body language, do you think those are analagous(16.) to now texts have the ability to react to them, or to reply(17.) to certain sections, or add in images or GIFs, that give(18.) this peripheral digital communcation, as opposed to just(19.) the, like, text itself.

Yeah.



Mm.



Interesting,(26.) definitely agree.

Yeah.
Influenced over time.
Yeah, definitely. Or the -

I was just going to say the exact(28.) same thing. Like, the classic thing of getting a text from your friends,(29.) if it’s got a fullstop at the end, you know they’re pissed off, but for our parents(30.) generation, if you get a text with someone with a fullstop in it, you don’t think anything(31.) of it, because they’re not aware that that is - the extra effort, the very minute(32.) extra effort, that goes into adding a full stop often indicates a more assertive tone.(33.) Which is really interesting, and like, even just adding like a laugh emoji react(34.) to someone’s message or something, depending on the context, it can be so loaded or it can be so supportive(35.) as well. 



Mm.
Mm.

Yeah. Yeah, flavour to the text that influences it.(40.)
For sure.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, agreed, if you abbreviate it, or add more punctuation(43.) to it you get a different reaction.


Yeah,(45.) I’m having the exact same realisation. Because there are all these peripheral things that could be quite analagous, how often would you use emojis or these sorts of peripheral stuff?

Mm.
Mh-mm.

Interesting.(48.)






Definitely,(52.) I think I’ve increasingly started using them for that exact reason, that it adds an extra dimension(53.) to text that I think purely text lacks. Would you use voice memos or anything like that?

Yeah.
Totally, exactly right,
and if you miss something, it’s like hard to hit the thing.




Interesting, like the emoticon(58.) as opposed to the emoji?
Where it’s colon(59.) and then
closed bracket.

A formal(61.) smiley face, that’s funny. 



I actually don’t think I’d say the same stuff, but I think, I think there are ways of sorta softening(3.) your sentence, or your message, to sort of mimic(4.) how you’d want it to come across in real life. Like I do think it’s obviously a different language(5.) and different, sort of, dialect. Is that the word, like, way of writing?(6.)

Whatever, well like a
different sort of,(7.) yeah,
little language.
But(9.) I think more and more with text literacy, people are more capable of deciphering vibe(10.) from a text.












Totally. Like, I think a lot of things you say, you know, we’ve all learnt that little(20.) things on text are quite loaded. You know, like specific words(21.) and it’s also I think different between different groups of people, even different friend groups.(22.) Like I know, with my friends for example, if someone’s a bit pissed, like say(23.) so-and-so is mad at me for doing this, if I got a text(24.) that was like: “um, hey you left your dishes lol” like, I’d(25.) assume the “lol” is a bit combative, you know, and all that stuff. Where, even a few years ago, “lol” was more like [childish sounds], so it’s interesting how like meaning gets, um,
immersed into the words, yeah.
Like would you(27.) -
Sorry, go ahead.



Yeah.

Yeah.


Mh-mm.

Yeah, totally.


Yeah, so I definitely think,(36.) sort of, like, there is obviously a little bit more guesswork  because you’re not, no one can really explain themselves(37.) as articulately in text, but I think, you know like we’re saying,(38.) it’s not like you’re completely, you’re just going(39.) off words, there’s heaps of like little, like you know, cultural things that are, totally. Yeah, because you(41.) could say, like, the exact same words and then one little thing at the end, or like one, your punctuation or something, just totally(42.) changes the meaning.

Yeah, so yeah, now that we’re having this conversation I do think that texting is maybe more eloquent(44.) than I give it credit for.




I(46.) actually find myself using them a lot and it’s because, I don’t know, I think this could be a bit of a gender thing,(47.) I always feel like I want to sorta soften what I’m saying, I don’t want to come off as aggressive, and so I don’t want there to be any ambiguity. Even if I look at my phone, I was texting my really(49.) good friend something and it was quite, like, bland,(50.) you know, no strong thing either way, it was just like “I’ve got this, do you want it?” sort of thing and then, I just found(51.) myself adding emojis because it really, it is a way to show your mood, your vibe.




I would sometimes, I just kinda can’t be bothered though, I can’t be bothered listening(54.) to them either, it’s like I’ve gotta get my headphones.(55.)
Yeah, totally.
But(56.) I actually think, even when I’m communicating with people I don’t know as well, like someone at work or wherever, I’ll use the dot dot(57.) smiley face instead of the yellow emojis.

Yeah, like not -
Yep.
But with friends I never do that, so I think dot dot that is like my formal “thanks”.(60.)
1. Head turns left, eyes flick upwards to resume eye contact.
2. Eyes glance left, to look outside.

3. Head tilts from side to side.
4. Right hand darts upwards, fingers outstretched. 

5. Open right hand rotates around an imaginary sphere.
6. Index finger and thumb pinch together, bobbing across the front of body.

7. Right hand tucks hair behind ear.
8. Index finger encircles the rim of a mug.
9. Hands clasp together in lap.
10. Head tilts from side to side.
11. Eyes glance downwards.

12. Right hand flicks out from body, fingers outstretched, before returning.
13. Right hand forms a loose claw.

14. Right hand thrown away from body.
15. Right hand rotates for emphasis.
16. Right hand thrown into a loose claw.
17. Right hand rotates for emphasis.
18. Hands clasp together, mid-air.

19. Fingers of left-hand pinch together, facing upwards.

20. Index finger and thumb of left-hand pinch together.
21. Fingers of left-hand pinch together, rotating to face upwards.
22. Hands clasp necklace.

23. Head shakes from side to side.
24. Hands clasp together and return to lap.
25. Hands thrown outwards, left hand higher.
26. Head nods slowly, three times.



27. Left hand pushed outwards, semi-open, palm facing upwards.
28. Head shakes slowly from side to side.
29. Right hand thrown into a semi-open claw, fingers pointing downwards.
30. Right hand thrown outwards, index finger and thumb pinching.
31. Left and right hands face each other, but seperated.
32. Left hand thrown outwards, index finger and thumb pinching.
33. Right hand thrown outwards as a loose claw.
34. Right hand traces a circle in the air.


35. Eyes glance upwards.
36. Eyes glance downwards.

37. Swivels body to the left in the chair.

38. Right hand traces a circle in the air.
39. Left hand is raised, index finger and thumb seperated by two centimetres.
40. Hands clasp together and return to lap.
41. Hands clasp together and return to lap.
42. Left hand moves right to left across the body, palm facing downwards.
43. Eyes glance downwards.
44. Lips purse together; eyes glance outside.

45. Fingers interlock.



46. Head tilts upwards and to the right.

47. Head tilts downards and to the left, resuming eye contact.
48. Fingers seperate; right hand placed on top of left in lap.
49. Eyebrows raise.
50. Right hand moves back and forth horizontally, palm facing downwards.
51. Right hand forms a loose claw, palm facing upwards.
52. Head nods twice.

53. Right hand thrown outwards.


54. Right hand is raised, jabbing with index finger.
55. Both fists flick over shoulders, as if removing a hood.
56. Hands return to lap, index fingers touching.

57. Index finger of right hand jabs twice, before tracing a vertical semi-circle clockwise.
58. Index finger of right hand flicks right-left-right.

59. Index and middle finger of right hand jab outwards, before tracing a vertical semi-circle clockwise.
60. Head tilts quickly from side to side.
61. Begins to smile.



©2024
I acknowledge and pay my respects to the Boon Wurrung and Wurundjeri Elders and Traditional Owners, both past and present, of the stolen Kulin lands. I acknowledge the ongoing and far-reaching legacy of creation and artistic practice in this country, and that sovereignty was never ceded.