Glyphexts (Glyphs + Text = Effect) as Information Divide: Screen Reader Impact on Interpreting Sentimentality in Online Social Media Review Posts

Abstract

Subjective information in the form of online social media (OSM) opinion posts increasingly functions as useful information in times of uncertainty. Sentimentality frequently expressed in OSM posts includes emotions such as excitement, disbelief, and rhetoric such as expressions of sarcasm. Sentimentality is conveyed through glyphs expressed in isolation (?) or (!), success repetition (????), (!!!!!), or (?!), and non-standard punctuation such as the interrobang (□). Application of a nascent lens, the Cognitive Authority Framework-Quality Information Source (CAF-QIS), has revealed that glyphs are commonly and frequently applied in OSM. Accessibility software employed by those with visual challenges allows for filtering of extra-character content in documents, including web content such as OSM. Some screen readers exclude conveyance of glyphs entirely. Through open-ended survey responses and first-hand interview accounts with visually-challenged users active on OSM opinion sites, this project seeks to uncover deeper understanding of how they determine trustworthiness of opinions and better opportunities to access emotionally informed subjective content. The concept of glyphicality provides a lens to interpret sentimentality within the specialized social media domain.