Anning Song

Year of birth: 1998
Where do you live: London, United Kingdom
Your education: London College of Communication (UAL) / MA Data Visualisation Design
Describe your art in three words: Narrative, Impressive, Emotion
Your discipline: Embracing a human-centred design approach to explore and reflect on various themes within a social context
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Your project delves into the influence of internet acronyms on youth. What inspired you to choose this specific theme?

In today’s rapidly developing internet era, many young people are enthusiastic about using short words and internet acronyms to communicate. During my online chats with friends, I gradually noticed a decline in my ability to organize language and a reduced vocabulary. This phenomenon sparked my strong interest in the topic. After conducting some research, I found that internet acronyms have a significant negative impact on the youth group. The excessive use of these abbreviations not only disrupts the structure and norms of language but also severely affects young people’s literacy and writing skills.

An interesting phenomenon is that teenagers generally tend to follow “trends.” They imitate and adopt the language style of the group, using emerging online language to maintain social connections with each other. This trend has led to the widespread use of internet language, but at the same time, it has also intensified the simplification and informalization of written expression. Therefore, I have decided to focus on exploring the negative impact of the proliferation of internet acronyms on teenagers’ behaviours and language abilities, to raise public awareness about the potential harm of language abbreviations.

How do you approach exploring societal issues through your design practice?

I have always greatly appreciated the human-centered design philosophy, which emphasizes starting from people’s needs and deeply exploring those needs and pain points. In this process, as a designer, I place myself in others’ experiences, striving to view the issues from their perspectives. In the different projects I have worked on, some have been approached from a first-person perspective, focusing on my own experiences and discoveries, exploring behavioral patterns, and collecting data to explain phenomena. Others have been inspired by the stories and experiences of others, prompting me to deeply reflect on the issues they face. Therefore, I hope that my designs can have a tangible, positive impact on society, using projects to better understand social behaviors and phenomena.

In terms of design principles, I focus on distilling the core information of the topic, extracting key elements, and blending aesthetics with the expression of social behaviors. This approach drives deeper thinking about the issues at hand, which is then put into action. Through this process, I strive to closely integrate functionality with humanistic care in design, creating works that are both meaningful and impactful.

What challenges did you encounter while translating the abstract idea of linguistic degradation into a visual narrative?

The biggest challenge I faced was how to cleverly combine acronyms with characters to effectively illustrate the impact of acronyms on the teenager group. In the design process, I had to consider not only the layout of text and images and the cropping of shapes, but also explore adjustments to text deformation, positioning, and size. After a series of experiments, I ultimately decided to adopt a narrative approach. By distilling the key behaviours and reactions of teenagers at each stage of interacting with acronyms, I created a sketchbook that links relevant graphics to keywords. I used playful and engaging visuals to metaphorically represent the behavioural changes of adolescents when using abbreviations.

Your work focuses on human emotions and societal connections. How do you ensure your audience resonates with your message?

In my design projects, I tend to adopt a storytelling approach, which is not only a design method but also the core way for me to express my thoughts and emotions. Every design element and piece of information is rooted in thorough research on the social issues at hand. Therefore, I often extract the key concepts from the topic and use metaphorical design techniques to hint at and suggest the content of the story. This approach not only stimulates the audience’s thinking and empathy but also helps me focus on the needs, pain points, and potential social issues within human society.

In my view, the visual effects of a design and the choice of medium are closely intertwined; together, they determine how the audience resonates with the work emotionally. The visual effects must not only stay true to the essence of the topic but also enhance the message through elements such as form, color, and composition. Meanwhile, the choice of medium depends on the nature of the topic and the target audience, as the medium needs to effectively communicate the core idea of the design.

Can you elaborate on the process of researching and extracting the elements of youth group behavior for this project?

First, I conducted research on frequently used internet acronyms and reviewed data reports on how teenagers use these acronyms. I also distributed an online survey about internet acronyms, collecting 264 valid responses. By analyzing the data, I was able to summarize the reasons why teenagers prefer to use acronyms. Afterwards, I interviewed 3–4 teenagers to understand their views on using acronyms and read several academic articles and reports to investigate the social factors influencing the trend of acronym use among teenagers. Ultimately, I summarized the reasons for the spread of internet abbreviations within the adolescent group, traced the process of their diffusion, and explored how this phenomenon affects changes in teenagers’ psychological state and behavior.

My storytelling is divided into eight sections, primarily using character collages and group formations of acronyms to illustrate the issue. The first section depicts how teenagers begin to explore new acronyms and form small groups. I used the element of friendship bracelets to represent bonding and connection between them, followed by the use of acronyms to symbolize this gathering. The second section shows how teenagers gradually form a sense of group identity. I incorporated elements of social media tools, such as mobile phones and computers, and used collages to depict the interactions and behaviors of teenagers within the group.

The third section illustrates how small groups of teenagers gradually exclude others from outside their circle. I combined acronyms with images of people looking down at their phones to show this process of exclusion. The fourth section portrays how teenagers outside the group feel excluded and start imitating the behaviors of the group. I used the metaphor of an expanding mouth to represent their tendency to follow.

The fifth section shows how outsiders attempt to replicate trendy language, using popular acronyms to seek a sense of belonging. I used the shape of merging hands to represent this tendency to group together. The sixth section reveals how small teenage groups begin to adopt uniform behaviors and language, strengthening the group’s distinctiveness.

The seventh section reflects how, with the increase in group size, the original acronyms lose their novelty. I expressed this shift through expanding speech bubbles. The eighth section discusses how, as the group grows, its members begin to search for new abbreviations, and the group dynamic is further solidified. This creates a recurring cycle of following the group, which ultimately influences a large portion of the adolescent population.

In what ways do you hope your book will influence how society views the use of internet acronyms?

My book uses a combination of acronyms and character collages to illustrate the phenomenon of vocabulary degradation and the decline of language skills in teenagers’ everyday communication. Through the relationship between acronyms and characters, I tell the story of how teenagers form groups using acronyms, which then gradually spread. I want to convey to the audience that internet acronyms emerge in an environment of fast information flow, and that teenagers, who are immersed in an era of fragmented information, are affected in their ability to think deeply, making it difficult for them to tackle complex issues. The prolonged use of simplified language may also lead to problems such as a lack of emotional expression.

I hope this book will prompt the audience to reflect on abbreviations and their potential impact on the future of teenagers, especially regarding how to cultivate teenagers’ language skills and depth of thinking. I want people to realize that language ability is crucial to teenagers’ cognitive development, and the excessive use of acronyms could impair their thinking and emotional expression, ultimately affecting their ability to navigate a complex world.

Looking ahead, are there other societal issues you’re planning to explore through your work?

I have always been interested in the topic of social identity, as it reveals the complex emotional connections between individuals and groups. Social identity is not just a label; it is the way people find a sense of belonging, recognition, and value within a group. Human emotions are complex and often involve deep psychological needs, social backgrounds, and cultural identities. Many marginal issues and hidden problems are often overlooked, such as those related to social class, the voices of minority groups, or individual psychological pressures. Due to social development or cultural biases, these issues are often not openly discussed.

I hope to explore these overlooked emotions and topics through art, as art can break down language and cultural barriers and express unspoken feelings. Through my creations, I aim to tell the stories of these emotional and identity struggles, helping the audience understand the inner worlds of different individuals. Storytelling is a powerful tool; it reveals the complexity of human emotions and fosters understanding and empathy for others’ feelings.