How Language and Naming Make Place in Social Networking. 

       

How Language and Naming Make Place in Social Networking. Submitted by Esperance on September 3, 2016. The main objective of this short paper is to examine how language and naming make place in Facebook drawing on Tuan’s (1991) descriptiveness approach research about language and the making of a place. Facebook offers a platform for interaction with other friends but vital to the interaction is relaying and comprehension of speech between users. Therefore, communication which creates the essence of Facebook exists by use of language to express the users thoughts and intentions. As argued by Tuan, the use of language has a force to destroy, sustain and build. This is integrated in social network where tone and demeanor of language employed has similar effects with upshot being blocking users. In spite of that, victimization is exhibited through cyber bullying that adversely affects the victims. In this sense negative light of language comes to the fore. Conversely, in using language appropriately businesses in hospitality industry have been able to utilize Facebook and social network to reach their customers and build customer loyalty while experiencing business growth. In this regard, language works to build and create better relations on Facebook platform. Photos of self, places posted are fitted with brief description adding eloquence and allowing better comprehension of the picture in its context as recipients. This feature invokes the Chinese garden and landscaping Tuan argues that language enables better understanding of quality (personality or character) of a place, for that quality imparted by, along with visual appearance and other factors, the metaphorical and symbolic powers of language. According to that argument having account name on Facebook needs be complemented by use of language to create a presence in the minds of other users making the name to exist among fellow users over time.


references

Tuan,Y-F.(1991).language and the making of place:a narrative-descriptive approach.Annals of the Association of American Geographers,81 (4),684-696. Retrieved from www.tandfonline.com/loi/raag20