Smartphone Communication: Interactions in the App Ecosystem

This book provides a unique model for understanding the cognitive underpinnings, interactions, and discursive effects of our evolving use of smartphones in everyday app-mediated communication, focusing on the communication of emotions and incorporating insights from related disciplines. It is aimed at scholars and graduate students of communication, linguistics, pragmatics, media studies, and sociology of mass media.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 318 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This groundbreaking book provides a novel framework for comprehending the cognitive foundations,interactions, and discursive consequences of our ever-evolving engagement with smartphones in everyday app-mediated communication,spanning from text messages and GIFs to images, videos, and social media applications. By adopting a cyberpragmatics approach, rooted in cognitive pragmatics and relevance theory, it delves into how the specific interfaces of different apps and individual users' characteristics shape the contexts andusages of smartphone communication. Moreover, it emphasizes the significance of communication of emotions, alongside primarily linguistic content, as a vital aspect of the ongoing paralinguistic and phatic exchanges that define our sharing of memes, GIFs, likes, and image- and video-based content. The author incorporates insights from related disciplines such as media studies and sociology to address the most pressing questions of our digitally mediated age, making this book a valuable resource for scholars, graduate students, and upper-level undergraduate students alike.

Introduction:
The advent of smartphones has revolutionized the way we communicate, transforming our daily lives and reshaping the social fabric. With the proliferation of various app-mediated communication platforms, our interactions have become increasingly complex, involving a wide range of content types and modalities. This book aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the cognitive underpinnings,interactions, and discursive effects of our evolving use of smartphones in everyday app-mediated communication.

Cyberpragmatics Framework:
To achieve this, the book adopts a cyberpragmatics framework, which is grounded in cognitive pragmatics and relevance theory. This framework recognizes the importance of considering the cognitive processes and mental representations involved in human communication, as well as the contextual factors that shape communication outcomes. By integrating these perspectives, the book offers a holistic approach to analyzing smartphone communication.

Understanding Interactions:
Within the cyberpragmatics framework, the book delves into the intricate interactions between different apps and users. It explores how the interfaces of these apps, such as the design, layout, and functionality, influence the ways in which users interact with them. It also examines how users' personal attributes, such as their cognitive abilities, cultural backgrounds, and social contexts, shape their communication behaviors and preferences.

Discursive Effects:
The book further examines the discursive effects of smartphone communication. It explores how the use of different apps and content types shapes the discourses and ideologies that prevail in society. It also investigates how smartphone communication contributes to the formation of social identities and identity, as well as the construction of relationships and communities.

Communication of Emotions:
One of the key aspects of smartphone communication is the communication of emotions. The book recognizes the importance of emotions in human communication and explores how emotions are expressed, interpreted, and negotiated in app-mediated communication. It examines how emotions are conveyed through nonverbal cues, such as facial expressions, body language, and voice tone, as well as through linguistic content, such as emojis, slang, and emoticons.

Insights from Related Disciplines:
To enrich the analysis, the book incorporates insights from related disciplines such as media studies and sociology. It explores how smartphone communication intersects with media consumption patterns, media representations, and social media practices. It also examines how smartphone communication contributes to the formation of public opinion, social movements, and cultural change.

Target Audience:
Smartphone Communication is primarily aimed at scholars and graduate students of communication, linguistics, pragmatics, media studies, and sociology of mass media. It provides a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to analyzing smartphone communication, making it a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners in these fields.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, Smartphone Communication offers a groundbreaking framework for understanding the cognitive underpinnings,interactions, and discursive effects of our evolving use of smartphones in everyday app-mediated communication. By adopting a cyberpragmatics approach, grounded in cognitive pragmatics and relevance theory, the book provides a holistic understanding of the complex dynamics that shape our communication practices and experiences. This book will be of interest to scholars, graduate students, and upper-level undergraduate students alike, as it offers valuable insights into the rapidly changing world of digital communication.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032060675