Can hashtags be considered pragmatic markers in written language? This paper will firstly provide a theoretical overview on pragmatic markers and hashtags with the most important features. Secondly, it will explain the methodology and collected data of a self-made survey. Then, the analysis will draw a line between theory and survey and will answer the guiding question. Finally, the conclusion will summarize the most important results and give a short outlook on a possible evolution of hashtags in the future.
Communication happens in many ways. It happens verbally, through intonation, gestures or facial expressions. It happens everywhere. It happens between friends, it happens in cafes, it happens in books and it even happens online. And communication happens all the time. Even when we do not think about it, we sometimes communicate without knowing and other times, we do it on purpose. Pragmatic markers, such as well, actually or fair enough most often occur in spoken language and are often intentionally used to convey meaning beyond the actual content of a conversation. By using pragmatic markers, a speaker can, for example, show empathy, change the topic of a conversation or criticize what a different speaker said. All this happens within the actual discourse and can provide essential metainformation.
Hashtags, however, most often occur in written language, especially on social media platforms, and are a combination of the # (hash) and a word or phrase following a certain purpose. By means of the following paper, these two ways of communicating are to be explored in detail.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 What are pragmatic markers?
3 What is a #hashtag?
4 Survey
4.1 Methodology and Data
4.1.1 Personal Data
4.1.2 Social Media Behavior
4.1.3 #hashtags
4.2 Analysis
5 Conclusion
6 Sources
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This study aims to investigate the linguistic relationship between social media hashtags and traditional pragmatic markers to determine if hashtags function as a form of written metacommunication. The research seeks to answer the central guiding question: "Can hashtags be considered pragmatic markers in written language?"
- The theoretical definition and functions of pragmatic markers in spoken language.
- The evolution and multifaceted usage of hashtags on social media platforms.
- A comparative analysis of the structural and communicative roles of both phenomena.
- An empirical survey analyzing user behavior and perception of hashtag functions.
- The classification of hashtags as "afterthoughts" or metacommunicative guides in digital discourse.
Excerpt from the Book
3. What is a #hashtag?
For a long time, hashtags as such were no more than a combination of the # (hash) symbol and a series of words or characters (Small 2011; quoted in Browning 2017, 1). However, they have become an essential part of the social media world. Hashtags were introduced on Twitter in 2007 by social designer Chris Messina (Caleffi 2015, 46) as a way to classify messages (tweets) according to topic, thus allowing users to easily search content and receive information related to it (ibid). As a result, hashtags have become tools to find messages and take part in conversations (Laniado 2010; quoted in Laukkanen 2016, 1) meaning that they have developed into a “community building linguistic activity” (Zappavigna 2011, 2; quoted in Caleffi 2015, 46).
Hashtagging has turned out to be a very flexible means to find information on similar topics online (Caleffi 2015, 48). Twitter experts claim that the best hashtags are those made of a maximum of six characters and three hashtags in a tweet should be the highest number of occurrences for an excessive usage could cause confusion (ibid). Another reason is, that Twitter was initially used like a messenger to send SMS, and a tweet is therefore still restricted to a number of 140 characters (Laukkanen 2016, 4). This emphasizes the communicative aspect of hashtags and represents the aim to communicate with as little effort as possible.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter introduces the importance of communication and presents the guiding research question regarding whether hashtags can be categorized as pragmatic markers.
2 What are pragmatic markers?: This section provides a theoretical foundation by defining pragmatic markers, their optionality, and their function in expressing speaker intentions and discourse coherence.
3 What is a #hashtag?: This chapter explores the origins and development of hashtags from simple search tools to complex community-building linguistic devices.
4 Survey: This chapter outlines the methodology and results of a survey conducted to analyze how users utilize hashtags in digital environments and their perceptions of these markers.
4.1 Methodology and Data: This section details the demographic makeup and social media habits of the 100 participants involved in the study.
4.1.1 Personal Data: This segment describes the participant pool, noting the wide age range and the distribution of genders among respondents.
4.1.2 Social Media Behavior: This section analyzes the platform usage statistics, highlighting the popularity of Instagram and Facebook among the survey participants.
4.1.3 #hashtags: This segment presents the specific survey data concerning the frequency, purpose, and placement of hashtags in user posts.
4.2 Analysis: This section synthesizes the survey results, drawing direct parallels between the functions of hashtags and those of traditional pragmatic markers.
5 Conclusion: This chapter summarizes the findings, confirming that hashtags do indeed function as pragmatic markers and providing an outlook on the potential future of "spoken hashtags."
6 Sources: This section lists the academic literature and references used to support the research.
Keywords
Hashtags, Pragmatic markers, Social media, Discourse markers, Metacommunication, Digital communication, Linguistic activity, Survey analysis, Twitter, Instagram, Afterthoughts, Online interaction, Emphasizing markers, Communicative purpose, Sentiment analysis
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research?
The research explores the linguistic functions of hashtags on social media and evaluates their similarity to pragmatic markers used in traditional spoken language.
What are the primary themes discussed in this work?
Key themes include the evolution of digital communication, the definition of pragmatic markers, the categorization of hashtags as metacommunicative tools, and user behavior on platforms like Twitter and Instagram.
What is the core research question?
The primary research question is: "Can hashtags be considered pragmatic markers in written language?"
Which scientific methodology is employed?
The author utilized a self-designed survey involving 100 participants to collect data on social media usage, hashtag behavior, and user associations with specific trending hashtags.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body covers the theoretical framework of discourse and pragmatic markers, the historical background of the hashtag, and a detailed analysis of survey data comparing user intent with established linguistic theories.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key concepts include Hashtags, Pragmatic Markers, Metacommunication, Digital Discourse, and Linguistic Evolution.
How does the survey differentiate between hashtag placement?
The survey investigated whether users prefer placing hashtags within the sentence or after the sentence, finding that most participants prefer the latter, which the author compares to "afterthoughts" in spoken discourse.
What specific hashtags were analyzed in the study?
The study analyzed #sorrynotsorry, #stayhome, #justkidding, #fridaysforfuture, and #tbt (throwbackthursday) to understand the underlying associations and pragmatic intent behind their usage.
What is the conclusion regarding "spoken hashtags"?
The author notes that while some participants have encountered the verbal use of the word "hashtag," it remains a developing area that signals the influence of digital communication on real-life speech patterns.
- Quote paper
- Hannah-Marie Dietrich (Author), 2020, Can hashtags be considered pragmatic markers in written language?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/972317
