Współczesny stosunek do normy językowej w świetle memów internetowych

The aim of the article is to present how the approach towards linguistic correctness of current users of the Polish language is reflected in Internet memes. The starting point is the assumption that language norms in online communication are treated in a different manner than usual. However, the high frequency of deviations from norms in online texts (especially in memes) does not mean a simple neglecting of the rules of linguistic correctness, as it includes both unintentional and accidental breaches of norms (coming from ignorance, lack of knowledge of rules or carelessness) and intentional actions of functional character, dictated mostly by treating the language in a ludic manner. In this article, the analysis of deviations from norms in memes is subordinated to presenting their purpose, which could be one of the following: linguistic fun, satire, anarchist defiance or provocation, attracting attention of recipients in order to distinguish the meme among massive amounts of information, and the diagnosis of linguistic correctness of specific people or representatives of various social groups (e.g. junior high school students, sports fans, blokers, sports commentators, teachers, elderly women). Moreover, creating negative protagonists of memes by attempting to imitate their language, which consists mostly of repeating their linguistic errors, allowed for the recreation of linguistic awareness of Internet users, e.g. for indicating the most ridiculed types of errors (spelling, phonetic and lexical). The key conclusion from the analysis is the indication of memes exemplifying the alignment with norms as a value, even if its appreciation is preceded by the (apparent) rejection of all rules.

The presence of occupational structure in online texts based on word embedding NLP models

Research on social stratification is closely linked to analyzing the prestige associated with different occupations. This research focuses on the positions of occupations in the semantic space represented by large amounts of textual data. The results are compared to standard results in social stratification to see whether the classical results are reproduced and if additional insights can be gained into the social positions of occupations. The paper gives an affirmative answer to both questions.The results show a fundamental similarity of the occupational structure obtained from text analysis to the structure described by prestige and social distance scales. While our research reinforces many theories and empirical findings of the traditional body of literature on social stratification and, in particular, occupational hierarchy, it pointed to the importance of a factor not discussed in the mainline of stratification literature so far: the power and organizational aspect.

Fake News and the “Wild Wide Web”: A Study of Elementary Students’ Reliability Reasoning

Online research presents unique challenges for elementary students as they develop and extend fundamental literacy skills to various media. Some features of internet text differ from that of traditional print, contributing to the challenges of discerning “fake news.” Readers must understand how to navigate online texts to conduct research effectively, while applying critical thinking to determine the reliability of online information. Descriptive data from an ongoing study revealed that children in grades 1–5 lack some basic understanding of how to search the “wild wide web.” Just as children benefit from explicit instruction related to text features, children benefit from instruction related to the features of the internet. This article presents a study of website evaluation that occurs early in the search process prior to the selection of a particular website or article. The application of the web literacy skills required to conduct an internet search is addressed, and recommendations prompt teachers to consider searches beyond the “walled garden,” as well as ways to handle the “messiness” of internet exploration.

Using Online Texts to Build Independent Readers in ESL Classrooms

Studies with proficient users of English suggest that readers demonstrate deeper comprehension of texts when reading non-linear hypertexts than when reading linear texts. This is attributed to the networked nature of texts that helps readers exercise cognitive flexibility. An aspect that remains largely unresearched is the potential of linear online texts to facilitate comprehension in readers who are non-proficient users of English. Keeping in mind the fact that a majority of readers reading online texts in English can be hindered by three types of comprehension deficits – low levels of language proficiency, non-availability of prior knowledge, or both – this study investigated the interactive effects of two salient features of online texts, viz., non-linearity in the presentation of text and the availability of additional sources of information, on the reading comprehension of ESL readers. Two groups of readers with high and low levels of English proficiency read twelve texts on familiar and unfamiliar topics in print, linear online, and non-linear online modes. A comparison of readers’ responses to comprehension questions and free recalls showed that those with low linguistic competence and/or topic familiarity were able to achieve better comprehension of linear online texts than print texts or non-linear online texts. The findings indicate that text linearity when combined with the presence of multiple information resources (both provided by the author within the text and freely available on the internet) might have the potential to scaffold linguistic and content knowledge deficits in ESL readers and promote deep levels of comprehension.

Screwed: Anxiety and the Digital Ends of Anticipation

This essay discusses anxiety as the paradigmatic malady of the present and its correlation with the rise of always-on computing. Discussing anxiety as “an expectation emotion,” the essay notes the ways in which always-on computing has outsourced futurity to opaque computational processes. This essay asserts that the latter fuels the former. However, all is not lost. Through the analyses of three online texts—an artist’s clock, a meme, and a YouTube video—the essay argues for a view of this situation that recognizes the pleasurable and resolutely social dimensions of anxiety. Discussion of these texts elucidates the dynamics of anxiety in always-on computing and challenges the assumption of anxiety as an individual problem.

Adapting to Political Activism in Destination

The way of protest through hartal (general strike) has sparked heated debates about its impact on the tourism industry in Kerala. This paper is aimed in the viewpoint that political activism has adverse consequences on tourism in the state of Kerala which is seamlessly propagated through the Media. Through a thematic analysis of online texts published on trip advisor, this paper explores tourists’ perceptions and opinions of the implication of hartal on tourism in Kerala. Overall, our analysis reveals that hartal would not discourage tourists to visit Kerala, although many regarded that certain level of challenges at the destination will enhance the visitor experience. Importantly, our study also contends that the narratives about the ‘hartal’ produced and propagated online were often representative of political structures of power, which linked tourism to hartal irrespective of the real impact on tourism.

Parents’ Use of Digital Literacies to Support their Children with Disabilities in Online Learning Environments

An emerging research base has highlighted various roles and responsibilities that parents of students with disabilities accept when they enroll their children in online schools. Since finding and using online texts and using various programs and applications that require search and evaluation skills to do work are typical for online learning, it follows that part of parent responsibilities in many families might involve using basic technological literacies or even more advanced digital ones. To focus on the range of technological literacies that parents employ, researchers gathered self-report data from parents about how they engage with online education technologies while working with their children with disabilities. Interviews with (n = 32) parents across six states in the West, Midwest, and Southern United States revealed that parents employ various skills with a specific set of purposes in mind. Literacies were used to (a) perform basic technological computing tasks, (b) evaluate information to supplement existing instructional materials, and (c) communicate with the school about children’s needs. Reported purposes for using these skills emerged as (a) instructing, (b) monitoring, (c) advocating, and (d) learning school expectations. Implications of this study include the potential for literacy-based approaches to parent preparation for supporting vulnerable children in online settings.

Memetic mapping and genealogy of Google’s organizational culture

Purpose The purpose of this study is to describe the culture of Google using memetic mapping. Design/methodology/approach Printed and online texts published about Google are coded, and 40 memes are discovered. Memes are placed into six levels of organizational culture, namely, basic assumptions, values, norms, artifacts, work procedures and human resources practices. Findings To understand the formation of Google’s culture in the course of history, genealogy method is applied. In this approach, parent of each meme (the culture from which the meme is adopted) is identified. In total, 85 cultures that had impacts on the emergence of Google’s culture are recognized and analyzed. Practical implications Practical implications are presented as memetic engineering technique, which is capable of diagnosing and treating defective memes to facilitate and enhance the internal dynamics of corporate members. Social implications The application of this approach for tackling the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic is discussed through a real-world example. Originality/value Memetic mapping is a powerful tool for managers, consultants and organizational researchers to explore the cultural phenomenon and change it to achieve higher performance.