ANALYSIS OF COMMUNICATION/RESPONSE IN

TWITTER AND WHATSAPP CHATS

A RESEARCH WORK SUBMITTED TO THE

DEPARTMENT OF LINGUISTICS, NNAMDI AZIKIWE
UNIVERSITY, AWKA.

BY

OBIEKWE PEACE UDOCHUKWU

2017054125

SUPERVISOR: DR, ONYINYE CHIEMEZIE

08068691651

JANUARY, 2022.
 OVERVIEW

●Abstract
●Introduction
●Research objectives
●Literature review
●Methodology
●Findings
●Conclusions
 ABSTRACT

This research work studies the problems of the Twitter and

WhatsApp messaging applications. This was done through an
identification of the possible problems that may lead to
misunderstanding in the usage of the above mentioned apps,
and the ways to avoid them. It employed Grice's theory of
implicature, but it was used based on the decoder's part in
communication. Descriptive qualitative method was used in
the data analysis. The data presented in this research work
was collected from purposeful sampling WhatsApp chats and
Tweets that were uploaded on the internet by Google.
Keywords: Misunderstanding, Context, Communication,
WhatsApp, Twitter
 INTRODUCTION
● The background to the study shows that language is the most
specific of all human phenomena.
● It goes beyound its semiotic possibility of conveying
information.
● It involves other tools to aid interloction, such as; voice
modulation and pitch, gesticulations, facial expressions and
in most cases, feedback from the other party.
● With the advancement of technology, especially in the
telecommunication sector, people now rely more on the use
of some instant messaging applications (which includes
WhatsApp and Twitter) in order to pass across information
through texting.
● These applications may not usually involve face to face
interaction, so there could be so many cases of
misunderstanding during chatting events.
 RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
● The main aim of this research work is to study the intricacies
of the Twitter and WhatsApp applications.
● It is what gave rise to the following research questions:
● What are the possible causes of misunderstanding in
WhatApp and Twitter?
● What are the factors that contribute to these problems?
● What are the ways to avoid these misunderstandings?
● How does trolling on Twitter restrict people from fully
expressing themselves on the app?
 LITERATURE REVIEW
● Other previous research works related to this particular
research were consulted.
● The theoretical framework in this research was Grice's
theory of implicature (although it was adopted based on the
part of the decoder than the sender)
● One of the empirical studies consulted during this research
was; a research carried out on "Responding Indirectly" by
Traci S. Walker from the University of Sheffield, and Paul
Drew from the University of New York. They proposed that
responding indirectly may be the most efficient form of
communication in certain contexts.
 METHODOLOGY
● Descriptive qualitative method was used.
● Data for the research was gotten from purposeful sampling
of WhatsApp chats and Tweets from what Google uploaded
on the internet.
● The research was not based on any particular geographical
area. It is a social geography of Twitter and WhatsApp
platforms.
FINDINGS/DATA PRESENTATION
● Findings from this research shows that some of the possible
causes of misunderstanding in WhatApp and Twitter
include, misinterpretation of emojis, sarcasm and disrespect.
● Data indicating these problems are presented below;
● MISINTERPRETATION OF EMOJI:
Chat 1(WhatsApp)
Matt: Hey, I heard about you and Mary.

👊👊
Stephen: Yeah, are you okay with it?
Matt:
Stephen: Really? You want to punch me? Come and get it
you idiot.
Matt: That was a fist bump, you fool.
● Stephen misinterpreted the emoji as meaning that Matt
wanted a fight, because Matt did not back up the emoji with
adequate words.
● SARCASM
Chat 2(Twitter)
Christiana
@Christiie: imagine knowing a guy that can solve all your
financial problems without asking for sex.
Pastor Ola
@Bliss: *replying to @Christiie*
You mean you don't know your father?
● Christiana thought having a guy that can pay all her bills for
free is a nice feeling, but Bliss sarcastically reminded her
that the only man who could do that was her dad.
● DISRESPECT
Chat 3 (WhatsApp)
*In a class group chat*
Lecturer: Students, meet me in school today
Divine: @Chioma What time are we to meet you, ma?
*Lecturer reads and ignores*
● WhatsApp was built in such a way that during chatting
events in a group, the username a user used in registering for
WhatsApp is what appears in the group. Divine was trying
to draw the lecturer's attention by tagging her (the '@' sign is
used for tagging people), but the lecturer saw it as a sign of
disrespect that Divine mentioned her name without any
formal additions.
 CONCLUSIONS

● This research work supports the fact that miscommunication

is an integral part of human life. It cannot be avoided, but
can be reduced.
● The observation from this research work shows that emojis
and emoticons should be backed up with adequate words to
aid proper understanding.
● It is also recommended that face to face interaction like
video calls should be employed, and where such is not
available, the users should be more elaborate and clear
during conversations.
Thank you for listening!