Get the right code!
What you say, and how you say it, often depends on whom you're talking to, both in person and online. Though, not just your audience affects how you communicate: also the apps or websites shape it!
If you want to enhance your communication online, get into this unit and see what you usually don’t really see.
Warm up
Are you an expert on online communication?
Exchange with your buddy and rate yourself on a scale from 1 (low) to 10 (high) in relation to:
- writing e-mails
- writing text-messages
- recording voice-messages
- posting text / images / videos on different social media platforms
- …
Ready to increase your level?
Learn
Have you ever noticed that you change the way you speak and behave depending on where you are and with whom you are?
This is code-switching and it is something we also do online: we switch code, depending on the platform we use and the audience we communicate with.
To know the right code is therefore very important!
Let’s start with the differences between e-mail and instant messaging!
Dive in 1
Different media apply different rules that you need to know. Though at least some of these rules change, depending who you are addressing.
Imagine that you don’t feel well.
If you were with them, how would you say it to your
- teacher
- parents/tutor
- friends
Think of these three scenarios and exchange with your buddy:
would you use different words, do different expressions with your face or somehow behave differently?
Done?
Now imagine that you are not in the same place.
How would you reach your teacher, parents, friends? (telephone, e-mail, sms, text-message/voice-message on messenger like telegram, signal, whatsapp, post on social media…)
And how would you tell it to them?
If you want you can insert your texts here.
Done?
Did you choose the same medium and write exactly the same thing in the same way?
If not: what did you change? Why?
Create
What social media platforms do you know?
Share your knowledge about their similarities and differences.
Done?
Choose one of them and look for good and bad practices.
Out of the good and bad examples you have found, create your own content (a digital flyer, a pod-cast (series) or a video) where you explain the DOES and DON'TS others should know in order to act in a competent way on that platform!
Reflect
Many people switch many times a day from one platform to another, from one audience to another and from online to offline communication.
What do you think:
Can this lead to “code-mixing” (using different codes at the same time)? For example:
- inserting emojis in e-mails
- saying “hashtag…” while speaking with someone next to you
Share your thoughts and observations and make a postcard!
Download the free KIDS4ALLL app and your wish comes true!
