# Gritti_Social_Networks_and_the_Aesthetics_of_Communicative_Agency  ## Metadata - Author: [[Arianna Gritti]] - Full Title: Gritti_Social_Networks_and_the_Aesthetics_of_Communicative_Agency - Category: #articles - Summary: insert summary - My notes: - Summary: Arianna Gritti explores the aesthetics of social networks by comparing them to video games, focusing on how their design shapes communication and user interactions. She discusses how social media platforms create a structured environment for speech acts, influencing both creativity and engagement. Additionally, Gritti examines the ethical implications of these designs, suggesting that they can affect the aesthetic value of social networks. - URL: https://readwise.io/reader/document_raw_content/290511059 ## LLM Chats ## NotebookLM ## LLM Audio ## Highlights > “striving games” ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jr7y9arnm8674z1gd827b3w2)) - Note: this is not right. > Moreover, when one feels like their interpretation of the trend was a fit, they also say “I won this trend”. The “winner” of a trend is usually the one who scores the highest number of visualisations. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jr7ynq891dbn5wsdfd7wyyme)) - Note: maybe make this clear that this is just one manner of speaking. > A difference between video games and social networks is that the former are enclosed in “magic circles” (Huizinga, 1938) but the latter are not. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jr7yqt665zqstt5t55vmnd0p)) - Note: this needs to be laid out more explicitly. > Another way in which games and social networks differ is in the type of agency that is exercised. Video games often involve both simulated physical movements within a virtual space, such as running, jumping or attacking (like in the Super Mario Bros games), and other forms of interactions, such as puzzles in graphic adventure games, in which the player should solve riddles and interact with non-playable characters to influence the narrative and complete the game (such as 999: Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors). In contrast, agency on social networks is solely rooted in communicative actions or “speech acts” (Austin, 1962; Searle, 1969), such as posting, commenting or sharing3, but these actions do not lead to any final overall goal. As I have previously mentioned, some might play the “visibility game” by trying to guess how the algorithm works with the aim of being visible, but there is no sense in which one can “finish TikTok” or “finish Facebook” in the same way one can finish a Super Mario Bros game. Social networks might influence our motivational structure (that is “why we use social media platforms”) but are not designed to pursue any overall aim. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jr7ytsds5qa0z3cnzx0v7bdk)) > . But the tools provided by social networks often make communication simpler and more nuanced. Adding emojis, pictures, GIFs and auditory elements can make one’s statement more effective. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jr7z08f8qk05qag75q8zrgax)) - Note: elaborate a bit more? > strengthen their arguments. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jr7z24y274pz42swjbt23p4t)) - Note: wouldnt put it like that > d evolves. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jr7z469sbz07ssgmerwxevqm)) > In this context, certain phenomena, which could theoretically be embraced by any platform because of their digital nature, are rejected on specific ones (like we have seen in the aforementioned selfie example). This is likely due to a combination of social norms and structural constraints. S ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jr7z4q155t59hte11ry3tzr5)) - Note: could be clearer > TikTok is the ideal platform for this type of videos due to its emphasis on authenticity and spontaneity. Unlike traditional beauty content, GRWM videos feel intimate and conversational, often filmed in bedrooms and structured as a shared routine rather than a formal tutorial. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jr7zgyn0neh5h4hwngnavyg7)) > The sense of intimacy is deepened by structural constraints, such as the vertical full-screen video format which makes harder closing the app, absorbs our attention and feels 4 ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jr7zhp58zpdx9w6f10avpg0h)) > like we are video-facing a friend. M ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jr7zhrdqqwedw9tnakx64np5)) > Moving back to social networks, the harmony of capacities appears less aesthetically relevant. Although skills and knowledges are required to edit a good TikTok, it is hard to state that such tools engage one’s highest skill level to meet the platform’s demands. To stick to Nguyen’s definition, creating a speech act does not typically require one to engage their highest skill level to meet the platform's demands. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jr7zrse4wz35s273wg70bnxk)) - Note: good > In contrast, the harmony of action and the harmony of solution seem to be more aesthetically significant experiences. The former might be experienced when one’s speech act feels like organically fitting the platform’s communicative environment. For example, composing a tweet that perfectly balances wittiness and sarcasm within 280 characters can feel satisfying, even without external validation. Instead, the harmony of solution can be experienced when one’s speech act effectively resolves a communicative challenge. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jr7zwncjf131ctvg26qt8q27)) - Note: hmmm ## New highlights added April 7, 2025 at 4:09 PM > ; ethicists claim that ethical flaws always diminish the artistic value of an artwork; ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jr84e7hz83fsmnk3m24npfh0)) > . Additionally, the social dimension is largely absent in e-commerce, making the mechanics of value exchange more explicit. In contrast, social networks operate in an opaquer manner. Users are often unaware that their attention and interactions are being commodified: l ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01jr85a3cm7vttsyadefdmprw9))