ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses various devices and resources that are used to communicate non-verbal information in digitally mediated discourse contexts. In face-to-face spoken communication, the tone of voice, facial expressions, and gestures of a speaker can have a significant effect on the overall message that is conveyed. These cues are either unavailable or greatly reduced in digital contexts. However, users have developed and co-opted a range of devices and resources to facilitate the communication of their intended meaning online. Users can easily alter the visual appearance of digital text via creative and non-standard uses of typography, punctuation, and spelling. The effect of this on the meaning of an utterance can only be understood relative to the discourse context in which it occurs, as illustrated by the various examples which are discussed in this chapter. The focus then shifts to emoticons and emoji. A range of pragmatic functions are identified and discussed, including communication of attitude, indication of illocutionary act, and disambiguation of meaning. The chapter ends with a brief discussion of reaction GIFs as resources for communicating attitude, emotion, cultural knowledge, and digital literacy.
