{"id":582,"date":"2020-11-04T22:31:19","date_gmt":"2020-11-05T04:31:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wowfall2020.londietmartin.com\/?p=582"},"modified":"2020-11-06T22:47:49","modified_gmt":"2020-11-07T04:47:49","slug":"full-circle-apes-grunting-to-tiktok","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wowfall2020.londietmartin.com\/?p=582","title":{"rendered":"Full Circle: Apes Grunting to TikTok"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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I\u2019d like to think that somewhere in the world there\u2019s an ape sitting in front of a screen, grunting as he watches his hairless cousins dance around to some obnoxious pop song<\/a>. Maybe he beats his chest. Maybe he tries to dance along. Either way, he\u2019s grunting wildly to TikTok.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sadly, as much as this image amuses me, it\u2019s not what the title means. I wish it were\u2014I\u2019d pay good money to see that, but, no\u2014the word in question, \u201cto\u201d indicates a transition from and comparison of apes who grunt (or in this case use gestural communication) to humans who dance on TikTok. What could the two situations possibly have in common, though?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video apps like TikTok host people from all across the world, performing similar attempts at dances and lip-syncing, essentially making it a multi-modal blog. Since TikTok can be understood as a type of blog, it can also be understood as a type of writing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Writing is not just letters, those little black marks across a page, or typed across a screen. Sure, the alphabet, orthography, Gutenberg, and the evolution of language into a system of semi-permanent representation across countless media are all impressive aspects of writing, but writing is even more than words. It\u2019s about bridging the impossible gap between the worlds of people who will never be able to know exactly what it\u2019s like to be you, no matter how close they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, What Do Apes Have to Do With TikTok?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Communally accepted dance moves resemble the gestures of our upper primate cousins\u2014at least, that is, the communal aspect of dancing resembles the social interaction of chimps, bonobos, and other primates. While it might not be dancing, chimps and bonobos use a system of gestures, grunts, and hoots to communicate different meanings. So what is it all about? The short answer to that question is community. It\u2019s about saying we are part of the same group. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though complex, these communication systems of our upper pirate counterparts do not technically qualify as language. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica<\/a>, language is defined as \u201ca system of conventional spoken, manual (signed), or written symbols by means of which human beings, as members of a social group and participants in its culture, express themselves.\u201d1<\/sup> This definition, however, lacks a critical component found in linguistic definitions: A language must be able to communicate an infinite number of ideas through a finite number of words.2<\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s Being Communicated?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even though chimps and bonobos don\u2019t have full language, a sphere still exclusive to humans, they can communicate serious, important, and meaningful messages. They can tell another of their group that they identify with the culture. Like humans, other primate\u2019s communication may be voluntary and intentional and it may not. In discussing the inadvertent effects of vocalizations, the contributors to Introduction To Physical Anthropology<\/em> write \u201c[w]hether deliberate or not, both vocalizations, convey information to other animals [which] may simply refer to the emotional state of an individual\u2026\u201d Though talking about vocal communications, such as pants, hoots, or grunts, the point is made that a communication can be inadvertent\u2014a point we can extend to gestural communication as well. The contributors go on to say \u201c[p]rimates (and other animals) also communicate through displays, which are more complicated, frequently elaborate combinations of behaviors.\u201d Some of these displays are aggressive; in fact many are, but others are what the contributors call \u201caffiliative behaviors which promote group cohesion\u2026[and] reinforce bonds between individuals [and] promote group cohesion.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To boil it all down, sometimes the gestural communications of apes are inadvertent\u2014just a response they have automatically\u2014but these elaborate patterns have developed to convey meaning to the rest of the group and signifies that they all share a cultural bond and mutual goodwill. This becomes a schematic that can be applied to Tik Tok at a glance: Individuals from all across the world have participated in a somewhat ritualized display of complex gestures (dances) and whether or not they realized what they were communicating, the message was impactful and pointed\u2014we all share a common bond in a mutual group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So What Are the Implications?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are a handful of points made earlier which should be brought to the forefront of this discussion: Tik Tok can be thought of as a multimodal blog; Tik Tok is a platform with a global reach; much of communication bears inadvertent effects beyond what is intended on the surface; communication does not have to be finite and specific to be powerful and meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Multimodality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

There are a handful of points made earlier which should be brought to the forefront of this discussion: Tik Tok can be thought of as a multimodal blog; Tik Tok is a platform with a global reach; much of communication bears inadvertent effects beyond what is intended on the surface; communication does not have to be finite and specific to be powerful and meaningful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Global Reach<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The internet has had a localizing effect across the entire planet. People from all across the world are now part of a single, global community. The advent of communication types that don\u2019t rely on text has the potential to exponentially increase the impact of a shrinking world. You don\u2019t have to know English, Frisian, Portuguese, or Punjabi to appreciate a video of a smiling boy<\/a> dancing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inadvertent Effects<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned with the communication of the upper primates, sometimes communication is unintended but powerful nonetheless. With multimodal internet communication, this is every bit as true. Did the individuals dancing in the TikTok videos really mean to say that they are part of a global community and intend good will toward the recipients of the communication? Perhaps some thought it through, but it\u2019s doubtful that most did. Beyond this point, a blogger should consider the possible communications that occur when components of their writing are repurposed as content elsewhere. How might the things not explicitly stated extend beyond the original intent of the author?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Death of the Blogger<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Building from the last point, much in the way of Roland Barthes3<\/sup>, when an author produces a text (or in this case a multimodal blog) their communication no longer belongs to them exclusively. It is up to the interpretation of the reader\/viewer. The meanings and effects are multiple, perhaps not infinitely multiple, but open to interpretation nevertheless. The danger in this is that the audience viewing a portion of your multimodal communication may derive meaning entirely different than you, as the author, had intended. The compounded danger in its multimodality is that you don\u2019t necessarily have words to accompany the symbolic gestures. Still, just as this is a danger, it can also be a potential for benefit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now What Are The Applications?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I would argue that the vast majority of upload content on TikTok and similar apps will never have to be concerned with misinterpretation and repurposing, but the points I\u2019ve raised in this comparison should be considered by writers and content managers for any multimodal communication. Sometimes the nonverbal communication carries vast meanings that can be interpreted and misinterpreted by any number of recipients. This problem is exponentiated when content is repurposed and presented in separate formats and contexts. I\u2019m not arguing a doom and gloom message, however. I\u2019m just raising awareness that the writer\/content creator should be mindful of these possibilities of interpretation and implicit, nonverbal communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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End Notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

1<\/sup> https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/language
2 <\/sup>Word as used here, means \u201ca regular group of phonemes, gestures, or symbols used collectively to signify a specific meaning among a mutually intelligible group.\u201d
3 <\/sup>Roland Barthes wrote \u201cDeath of the Author\u201d where he argues that the author gives up rights to say what the work means when they pass it on to the audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n