Do you speak « Pic Speech » ? The new language of the Y and Z generations
The « Pic Speech » this is how Thu Trinh-Bouvier called this language of cultural melting pot spoke by youngsters today. In her book “Do you speak Pic Speech ? ” the author exposes a sociological study about the way Y and Z generations are precursors by inventing means of communication in which the picture is at the heart of their exchanges.
Thu Trinh-Bouvier deciphers this new visual syntax which is a mix of pictures, emoticons, short videos, drawings and comments. Contrary to the idea of an impoverishment of the youngsters’ language and isolation – facing their screens alone – this study reveals the cultural wealth and complexity of this idiom that keeps evolving, making the youngs’ affective links more intense. An expression of their values, their happy outlook on the world, spontaneity, above all this language stands for identity engagements in which emotion is the driving force.This study puts forward an analysis grid to understand better this new way to communicate they particularly used on Instagram, Snapchat, Vine,Facebook, Twitter and in text messages that already influences the way we communicate.
Speaking of “Pic speech”, you might speak it already but you don’t know it yet.
Thu Trinh-Bouvier is an intellectual agitator, an artist and a passionate picture researcher. Her field of action is digital communication. Director of New Media at Vivendi, she also draws and does research on “pictures and new practices”.
She graduated from L’Ecole des Arts Décoratifs, Paris (ENSAD) and also studied sociology. She is now part of the collective of artists We love the net. This collective of artists, designers and developers designs and realizes artistic projects that allow the general public to take over digital world with connected objects.
Find out more :
The book (only in French) « Parlez-vous le pic speech ? » de Thu Trinh-Bouvier aux Editions Kawa
Our article ”Youngsters and screens: +36% more contacts with the Internet from 2009 to 2013 in France” (31 décembre 2014)