Hand-me-down signs need to be updated
Non-verbal communication must go hand-in-hand with new norms and tech.
By ET Bureau |
iStock
US presidential candidate Joe Biden can be forgiven for thinking that an O gesture made with his thumb and forefinger would convey what it did back when he was a boy: ‘okay’, or even ‘perfect’.
The social media trolls who took matters into their own hands and decided that he had made a white supremacist gesture were equally ill-informed about the evolution of non-verbal communication.
One man’s okay was not okay for a lot of others, although it also proved that misconceptions can be handmade too. No wonder there are already concerns about the multiple meanings of the new hand emojis among the latest batch to be released soon.
Technology, of course, is the biggest disrupter of the hand lexicon. By changing the way common gadgets are operated, technological advances effectively nullify old practices. Pointing to the wrist when alluding to time is already outdated, and there is no updated gesture yet.
Rubbing a thumb and two fingers together to signify cash will soon become equally incomprehensible but an evocative alternative is elusive. And, today, kids being flummoxed by the extended thumb and little finger to mean a phone call is not surprising — recent studies have shown most of them use a flat palm against their ear instead.
A generational rewriting of Dial M for Murder for a new audience is inevitable.
The social media trolls who took matters into their own hands and decided that he had made a white supremacist gesture were equally ill-informed about the evolution of non-verbal communication.
One man’s okay was not okay for a lot of others, although it also proved that misconceptions can be handmade too. No wonder there are already concerns about the multiple meanings of the new hand emojis among the latest batch to be released soon.
Technology, of course, is the biggest disrupter of the hand lexicon. By changing the way common gadgets are operated, technological advances effectively nullify old practices. Pointing to the wrist when alluding to time is already outdated, and there is no updated gesture yet.
Rubbing a thumb and two fingers together to signify cash will soon become equally incomprehensible but an evocative alternative is elusive. And, today, kids being flummoxed by the extended thumb and little finger to mean a phone call is not surprising — recent studies have shown most of them use a flat palm against their ear instead.
A generational rewriting of Dial M for Murder for a new audience is inevitable.
ADVERTISEMENT
The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the life and lifestyles of people across the globe.
In this new reality, communication technology offers solutions to overcome some of the challenges thrown up by the pandemic. With social distancing and working from home becoming the new reality, tech trends will have to update. Parag Naik, Co-Founder & CEO, Saankhya Labs tells us what trends in tech we can expect in a post-Covid world.
Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
