Welcome To My ENG 101 Portfolio
Context Analysis
It seems that everywhere we go and no matter what we do today, technology is all around us. One of my personal favorites to use is the Facebook Messenger program. Facebook Messenger is a messaging system within the Facebook website and app. It can be on a desktop or used as on app on a cell phone interphase. Its key features are being able to send photos, videos, messages, and handle payments all in one screen. I can also video chat with any of my friends as well! There are also the fun elements like emojis and GIFs people have the option of using to add life to the messages. I love having all this variety and ways to use technology, but it can cause problems too. It can not only be exclusive in some aspects to handicap individuals but also be annoying to deal with in some ways regarding basic usage.
The Facebook Messenger program has many instances of communication within the program. The biggest communication element Facebook Messenger provides are texting or chatting options. With Facebook Messenger, you can message anybody that is your friend on Facebook. You can even message people that are not your friends, but they must accept the message to be able to respond to you. It is similar to texting but with your Facebook friends. There is also the fact that you can easily send and receive payments. I use Facebook Messenger to send my boyfriend money every month for my rent of $250. All that is necessary is to connect my bank account to my Facebook one time, then anytime I want to I can send any of my Facebook friends’ money. Conveniently, if they have their bank set up too, it instantly transfers to their checking account. This is a way of communication through the Messenger app because he needs to know that I have paid my rent for that month. Paying bills and meeting deadlines is communication as well as respecting agreed communication plans. When a payment is made, the other person gets a notification on their phone. The next instance of communication that the Facebook Messenger program has are GIFs and emojis. Being able to use emojis and GIFs (short picture clips) helps people express more emotion-based thoughts and feelings. People can add facial expressions to their writing to make a point stronger. It is also possible to make sarcastic comments or jokes. For example, you could say “yeah I’m so excited” and then add the straight face emoji to the message. People can understand that the sentence “yeah I’m so excited” is sarcastic due to the emoji included in the message. Another great interface is the video chatting element of Facebook Messenger. I typically use this one to chat with my brother who lives in England right now. Our cell phones do not connect well from such a distance and so using Facebook Messenger to talk face to face helps us communicate in ways we have never been able to without technology. The video chatting option makes communicating more personal with technology. Lastly, with Facebook Messenger, anybody can send multimodal elements to their friends and family such as videos and photos. This is a way to communicate because sometimes words are not enough. With photos, I can share more of the details with whoever I am talking to.
Facebook Messenger is very inclusive overall but unfortunately, like most things, it is not made for everyone. The program is more for tech savvy individuals and younger people. There is even a children’s version of the program that parents can control and monitor. Parents can set time limitations and even control what content a child can access with Facebook Messenger. Businesses may also find this helpful. Often on their webpages businesses will have a link so that customers can ask questions through the Facebook Messenger application. Facebook messenger is accessible to various age groups. Young people can send each other videos and chat while older people can share articles and links with their friends. It is especially relevant due to the Covid-19 pandemic where we have been forced to isolate. Thankfully, Facebook Messenger makes it easier to communicate during times like these.
In this photo, you can see how the Facebook Messenger program looks from a laptop.
Because Facebook Messenger is such a visual program, most likely blind people would not be able to use it. There are videos and some sound based parts of the Messenger program but most of it relies heavily on sight. People who struggle or have no computer or phone skills would also not be able to use the program. Because Facebook Messenger relies on internet connection, those without internet access or a smartphone with a data plan would be excluded from using the program as well. Facebook is generally an inclusive community and I am sure later on in the future they will figure out ways to include more people to their Facebook Messenger program.
I love using the Facebook Messenger program when I need to. For example, I can share photos and videos with my family in Russia. It is very hard to reach them because of the 11-hour time difference, but with Facebook Messenger I am better able to. We can communicate when it is convenient or when we have the opportunity. Facebook Messenger makes it easier to contact people even if you do not have their cell phone number. I can message them and they will get a notification saying I requested to message them. I love that I can pay bills to my boyfriend and a couple other relatives and have the money transfer so fast. It makes life a lot easier. I do not have to handle any cash or worry if the money made it to the bank. There are some parts though that I do not like as much. For example, I do not like that anybody can send me a message request. This can cause many creepy and random strangers to try to reach out to me and that makes me very uncomfortable. If I accidentally respond or let them message me, then they can see that I read their message too. Facebook Messenger lets you see if the person you sent the message to has read the message or not. Therefore, I feel pressured to respond right away to even my friends on Facebook. I do not like that about Facebook Messenger because sometimes I have had a long day and just don’t feel like responding. If my friend sees
In this photo, Facebook Messenger is displayed on a smartphone. Within the photo, there are programs such as the payment element shown in the photo. Others shown in the photo but not included in my writing are news, Spotify, polls, and even games.
that I have read the message, it may hurt their feelings, or they may decide to message me more. It becomes an annoyance for me.
The Facebook interface, Facebook Messenger, shapes communication by opening doors that otherwise would not exist. Everything that Facebook Messenger has like video chatting, emojis, and payment transactions exist in the world but not all combined into one program. It gives the people the opportunity to communicate through messaging but also with multimodal elements like images, emojis, and videos. Facebook Messenger offers many different options in one program. Facebook Messenger is a valuable tool to have and it is a means of communication.
Works Cited (Images)
Facebook's latest Messenger makeover is all about business | Engadget. 2020. Engadget, https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?thumbnail=960%2C&quality=95&image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fuu%2Fapi%2Fres%2F1.2%2F6kKA_dbospQFi989vJ2nqw--%7EB%2FaD05NzE7dz0xNjAwO2FwcGlkPXl0YWNoeW9u%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fo.aolcdn.com%2Fhss%2Fstorage%2Fmidas%2F245ebf1e01196f1c0f6024de7a4d6e36%2F205176119%2Ffbmessenger-ed.jpg&client=amp-blogside-v2&signature=526a327afbd1a123bd9185157ba2b72c15863ac1
Facebook Messenger will get desktop apps, co-watching, emoji status | TechCrunch. 2020. TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/30/facebook-messenger-desktop-app/