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00:00:00 – 00:17:52
The video highlights the evolution of human communication from ancient cave paintings in Lascaux to modern digital expressions like emojis. The speaker, an academic semiotician, discusses how symbols and signs have been integral to human expression, emphasizing the shift to symbolic and phonetic writing systems, which led to significant cognitive changes and the separation of analytical and emotional brain functions. This division gave rise to distinct intellectual fields, which began to reconnect during the Renaissance through perspective drawing. The speaker also examines modern integrations, noting the 20th-century move towards blending images and text, influenced by artists and advertisers, and leading to the popularity of comic books and emojis. Emojis, likened to a new universal language, enable cross-linguistic communication, showing parallels to ancient symbolic expressions. The speaker reflects on the modern acceptance of informal communication in academic presentations and the transformative impact of social media, portraying it as a form of digital graffiti that changes the way information is shared and consumed.
00:00:00
In this part of the video, the speaker, an academic semiotician, discusses human evolution in terms of symbols, signs, and words. The speaker highlights the significance of the “Face with Tears of Joy” emoji being chosen as the Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year in 2015, emphasizing that this indicates a shift in communication. The speaker then draws a parallel to early human expression, referencing 17,300-year-old cave paintings in Lascaux, France, as a “Great Leap Forward” from instinctual living to intelligent expression. These ancient artworks, like modern symbols, convey deep emotions and thoughts.
00:03:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker discusses the natural inclination of children to draw and create images when given paper and a writing tool, emphasizing that this behavior is instinctual and not taught. The speaker also traces the evolution of writing from early hieroglyphic writing to using symbols representing sounds, likening it to the use of numeric systems. The segment notes the significant cognitive change that writing brought about, transforming image-based cognition into sequential thinking and reading, which is vital for recording history. The speaker highlights the symbolic representation of sounds, using the example of the letter “A” originating from an Egyptian pictograph of an ox and evolving over time.
00:06:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the evolution of writing and its impact on the human brain. They explain how the representation of an ox evolved from intricate pictorial forms to simpler letters, illustrating this with the letter ‘A’. This shift enabled people to write thoughts and hear the sounds of words, engaging a different part of the brain. The brain then split into two parts: one for reading and thinking, and another for pictures, feelings, and senses. This separation led to the development of fields like philosophy, science, and mathematics on one side, and art and music on the other. The speaker highlights the historical separation of artistic and scientific pursuits, which were valued differently in education. However, by the Renaissance, these fields began to reunite, exemplified by perspective drawing, which requires both artistic skill and geometric knowledge. The video underscores the ongoing attempt of the brain to reconnect these two aspects, and the complications arising from a disconnected brain.
00:09:00
In this segment of the video, the speaker discusses how dyslexia does not occur in societies without alphabets, emphasizing the significant impact of print and phonetic alphabets on brain function. They highlight the shift in the 20th century toward reintegration of the brain, starting with artists like the futurists who combined images and text. This concept was also adopted by advertisers who created persuasive ads integrating images and text, making it compelling for consumers. Additionally, popular culture embraced this integrated language, notably through comic books, which combined visual and textual elements to create a new way of processing information.
00:12:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses how emojis became a universal form of communication. They explain that prior exposure to visual and textual language, such as in newspaper games and the Batman TV series, paved the way for the acceptance of emojis. The speaker notes that emojis allow people from different linguistic backgrounds to find a common ground in communication, paralleling ancient cave paintings that conveyed emotions universally. Highlighting the shift in communication methods, the speaker emphasizes that emojis form a new alphabet that requires users to understand their correct application. Reflecting on personal experience, the speaker shares that despite being 70 years old, they have grown accustomed to using emojis in informal communication with students and band members, interpreting their absence in messages as a potential sign of concern.
00:15:00
In this part of the video, the speaker discusses the significant changes in how students present their work compared to the past, noting the use of smiley faces and informal elements like emojis. He reflects on how, in the 1960s, adding a cartoon to a paper could have led to expulsion, highlighting the dramatic cultural shift. The speaker then examines the impact of digital communication and social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and YouTube. He points out that these platforms represent a new form of graffiti in cyberspace and change how information is processed and shared. The speaker also notes that students freely share personal texts, including romantic messages, which would have been unimaginable in the past. Concluding, he contrasts how academic lectures traditionally end with complex quotes, instead choosing a simple and contemporary farewell.