Since we were in town we decided to go to the travel agents and the idea started to become a reality. We considered a few destinations before settling on Amsterdam. From this initial idea, a variety of literacy events took place in order to organise the trip.

Moreover, I explored what was included in the deal (for example, a large cabin bag).

Digital Literacy:

• Researching flight details online.

• Using SkyScanner to compare flight details including prices, to work out the cheapest option.

• Accessing and navigating easyJet website.

• Researching Amsterdam train, bus, and tram information online.

• Researching train and bus times for Bristol.

• Researching taxi prices to compare cost of flying from Cardiff.

• Use of digital apps to record notes.

• Use of Google Maps to calculate distance and direction to airports (Cardiff and Bristol).

Literacy:

• Informal conversation with my sister.

• Formal conversation with travel agent.

• Reading and understanding information online, including the terms and conditions.

• Recording of notes in structured way.

• Conversations with my sister on where to travel from based on previous experience.

Numeracy:

• Calculating budget.

• Working out the cheapest flights.

• Working out what would be cheaper - whether to get a package deal or not.

• Calculating distances to the airport.

• Calculating directions to the airport.

Use of digital literacy skills in researching websites for information and using the 'read aloud' function in the browser setting to help process information.

Literacy skills in reading, understanding, and listening from using the 'read aloud' function.

C&I Studios. (2024). Color Psychology in Web Design: How to Use Color to Influence User Behavior | C&I Studios. [online] Available at: https://c-istudios.com/color-psychology-in-web-design-how-to-use-color-to-influence-user-behavior/#Colors-and-Brand-Identity [Accessed 27 Nov. 2024].

Conversion Uplift. (2024). Web Conventions. [online] Available at: https://conversion-uplift.co.uk/glossary-of-conversion-marketing/web-conventions/ [Accessed 27 Nov. 2024].

Gülşen, T.T., (2016). You tell me in emojis. In Computational and cognitive approaches to narratology (pp. 354-375). IGI Global.

Gupta, D. and Dingliwal, U., (2023). Colours in Branding: Creating Brand Identity and Influencing Consumer Perception. Ramanujan International Journal of Business and Research, 8(2), pp.11-25.

Ivinson, G., (2018). Re-imagining Bernstein’s restricted codes. European Educational Research Journal, 17(4), pp.539-554.

Mace, J. (2005), ‘Events, Practices and Values’ in Fowler, E. & Mace, J. (eds) Outside the Classroom: researching literacy in adult learners. Leicester: NIACE, pp. 1-23.

Radovic Markovic, M., & Salamzadeh, A.(2018). The Importance of Communication in Business Management, The 7th International Scientific Conference on Employment, Education and Entrepreneurship, Belgrade, Serbia.

Verheijen, L. and Stoop, W., (2016). Collecting Facebook posts and WhatsApp chats: corpus compilation of private social media messages. In Text, Speech, and Dialogue: 19th International Conference, TSD 2016, Brno, Czech Republic, September 12-16, 2016, Proceedings 19 (pp. 249-258). Springer International Publishing.

Speaking and listening skills were required to ensure everyone felt heard and that we could therefore plan a holiday we would both enjoy. Writing skills were also used at that time as we both made written notes to refer back to during the whole process.

These notes were recorded on my phone and required digital literacy skills. I used the Notes app on my phone where I had to add a new note, select the type of note (e.g., text), and then organise it, which also included uploading images. Literacy skills were also needed to be able to logically structure the notes to be easily referred back to.

Multiple smaller conversations occurred after we had developed our initial plan. These conversations were often informal and normally happened at random times of the day during other tasks (for example, whilst shopping). From these, I then had to navigate to my original notes and use the edit feature to update them.

Finally, numeracy skills were used to calculate the budget that could be allocated to each part of the holiday (for example, accommodation and activities). As we had an overall budget to work towards, mainly subtraction skills were needed.

To identify some activities to do, I searched for recommendations on Instagram. This required digital literacy skills to be able to search for accounts and posts about Amsterdam, as well as access the description and comments features to read about the activities. Reading skills were also required to understand the comments. Comments on this platform were often informal, containing a range of punctuation (often with errors) as well as a wide use of emojis either to add to a point or replace words entirely.

The text is laid out in the standard WhatsApp messaging format: each message is contained within a separate bubble and displays the name of the sender at the top, green bubbles represent messages sent by device user compared to the plain bubbles which have been received, and the time the message was sent is displayed at the bottom along with two small ticks. The presence of two plain ticks indicates the message has been sent, and when these are blue it signals the message has been opened by a receiver. The text contains a variety of message types such as images, gifs, and text-based that all appear in bubbles and can appear slightly different depending on what wallpaper each user has. Overall the language is informal with abbreviations, slang words, text-speech, and jokes. One example of this is "S&R" used in place of our names. Users interact with the text in different ways depending on message contents. The react feature is often used to acknowledge messages whereby users send an emoji (such as a thumbs up, heart, or laughing face), and the reply feature (where a previous message will display above your reply) is normally used to meaningfully organise conversations so all users are aware of what is being discussed.

At sentence level, the text is informal, often using contractions, symbols (such as '&'), and short sentences with various errors in grammar and punctuation. For example, most sentences end without a form of punctuation which is often seen with text speech (e.g., "Looks good"), and spelling errors are present such as "towr". Emojis are used multiple times throughout, often to replace written text.

The text mostly uses informal everyday terms.

As you can see from this WhatsApp conversation, it is okay to use emojis in this context because it is informal and they have implied meanings. Gülşen (2016, p.355) points out that language is formed of signs that do not have to be words, and these signs have meaning attached from the social environment. This aligns with the view of a large scale literacy practice with a shift in cultural views and associated meanings (Mace, 2005) as historically these conversations would have all been written without emojis, handwritten, or even communicated through speech. Emojis therefore hold more power now than in the past, and their implied meaning can also cause the conversation tone to change. This is because any errors when sending an emoji could result in the receiver misinterpreting you.

There are no set rules around frequency of interaction with and contribution to the group. One implicit rule is to remain respectful throughout. The name of the group chat is "Martins/Norman Family" indicating the chat is caring, with all users being friendly with some inside jokes made. Moreover, the use of "mum mentioned" indicates other conversations took place outside of those directly involved, further highlighting the close relationship.

This required me navigating the website (DL), reading, understanding, and interpreting information (L), and calculating prices including travel to the airport (N).

I also interpreted the flight times and worked out when we had to arrive to ensure we were there with enough time to check-in. I then compared these with transport timetables to calculate how much time we could spend in Amsterdam on the travel days (N). This helped us to maximise the amount of time we had.

Reading and understanding information from the timetable, and having conversations around this (L).

Working out the bus time we needed to catch to make it to the airport in enough time to check-in, and adding price of tickets to the total holiday cost to keep track of the budget (N).

On a sentence level, the use of grammar and punctuation throughout is mostly correct which is to be expected considering a company has sent the email and they rely on business to stay open. Whilst overall the email is formal, a slightly informal approach to grammar and punctuation has been used to create a friendly tone, such as contractions, exclamation marks, and ellipses. For example, "It's time to get excited as it's almost time to travel !" or "The picture must clearly show..." The use of these helps the reader connect more with the text, especially with the exclamation mark adding emotion. Full sentences have been used but the information is not structured in paragraphs. Sentences are all roughly the same length and whilst a list has been included, it has been structured in bullet points instead of using commas. This helps to break down information for the reader to make it easier to understand.

On a word or symbol level, there is no logo present at the top or bottom of the page which is not expected. Normally communication from a business would have their logo and company information located at the end to provide more details, including contact information. This was provided in other communication with the travel agent. Here a small red circle with a C in the middle is shown at the top alongside their name, where the C is taken to mean Cardiff. The semi-formal tone is also implied by the use of number format instead of word format ("48 hours" and "7") which could have been used to add to the friendly, personable tone. This tone may have been chosen because the travel agent is after information from the recipient, and relies on their business, potentially hoping to show good service so the recipient uses them again in the future. Radovic Markovic and Salamzadeh (2018) note businesses increasing use of email communication over verbal communication, and the need to effectively deliver the correct tone as this can have significant impact on the success of the business. Therefore, the friendly tone used might have been adopted to ensure no misunderstanding arose. This could also indicate the literacy skills of the sender. Perhaps the person who wrote this is trying to sound more formal then their skills allow for.

The conversation with the travel agent was formal but friendly and followed an expected script. For instance, when discussing the terms and conditions and booking policy, the discussion was formal and written confirmation was sent as proof. Mace (2005) highlight this cultural change in literacy practice, noting how the power we place in different forms of texts has changed over time. Whilst historically a verbal contract held lots of power, current times place greater emphasis, and subsequently power, on written text.

However, the travel agent also used a friendly and personal tone, constantly referring to me by my name, and they kept the conversation very positive. This is expected because they are trying to sell a holiday so they can earn money, and keeping the discussion personal could increase the likelihood of this happening.

I also had to upload my digital Railcard to the app in order to get a reduction in the ticket price.

The use of Google Maps also comes with an implied understanding of variability in route and time due to any potential incidents that might occur.

The public transport feature was used to compare routes. Symbols have also been used to replace words. For example, train tracks have been used instead of the word train), and understanding of this meaning is needed to interpret them.

Numeracy skills were also used when calculating distance and direction to the meeting point from our accommodation. Google Maps was utilised to support this.

In terms of engagement, the texts differ. For example, text a requires less frequent engagement than text c. This is because text a is an email and therefore only needs to be engaged in when either a response is requested, or the recipient has a question. Replies can also take longer to receive due to business hours, meaning if a message was sent last thing on a Friday, you may not engage with the text again until Monday because the travel agent might be off over the weekend. Barton and Hamilton (2012) note that "some events are linked into routine sequences and these may be part of the formal procedures and expectations of social institutions like work-places". Thus, the decision of the travel agent to respond only during workhours may be an expectation of the business. This is in direct contrast to text c which requires more frequent involvement because more people are involved, and it being more social in nature with messages sent at any time of the day. Conversely, text b requires different levels of involvement depending on the purpose. When the purpose is to research, the text will be engaged in more often to investigate the information and make an informed decision, but once the research stage has passed this text may have less involvement because the purpose has changed.

In terms of freedom in the literacies, all pose certain restrictions. For example, text a is an email asking for information to be provided, and therefore there is an implied expectation of a response in a similar semi-formal tone to match that of the travel agent. The travel agent in this case held more power because of this request. Again, as Barton and Hamilton (2012), the way the travel agent chose to engage may have been dictated through the requirements of their job. There is however some flexibility with the wording of the response which may also reflect confidence levels or skills. However, according to Barton and Hamilton (2012) texts are an integral part of literacy events and we must study the context of these texts, including how they are used, when studying literacy. This derives from the work of Mace (2005) who propose texts can be divided into the text, event, and social practices. Considering the text here asked for information on important travel documents, there was less freedom to reply in such an informal manner because of the understanding that the messages provide a paper trail to evidence the information provided in case anything went wrong. This could constitute the social practices surrounding the text. Text b is also restricted in freedom with the website creators holding the power since they are the ones who govern how users can interact, and in developing the site, have created a guide for how to interact. However, the layout of text b means users can quickly navigate the site and choose to engage in relevant sections for them. Thus, there is flexibility in terms of what users decide to interact with. In comparison, there is a lot more creative freedom in text c, with various response options present and a different relationship dynamic. Replies can be multimodal, with images (also used in text a), videos, and gifs potentially forming responses. Responses are only restricted by implied family rules. This is supported by Barton and Hamilton (2012) who assert that “some events are structured by the more informal expectations and pressures of the home or peer group.” Here it is likely that the older family members held the power as they are the ones who create and enforce rules and expectations. Barton and Hamilton (2012) also note how this power imbalance in familial relationships can dictate how people engage with these events. Text c also allows for reactions and emojis to be used as a response. Because of their implied meanings, there is a lot of power in the emojis because if an incorrect one is sent this cause many problems. However, there are still certain restrictions imposed by the WhatsApp creators, for example, messages will continue to appear in the bubbles and only content they have allowed for can be uploaded. It is likely that how to engage with all texts was learned over time through family members and observations.

Gender roles and social class cannot immediately be observed in the texts. It could be argued a traditional gender role can be seen in text c with the inclusion of “xx” at the end of a message, representing kisses. Historically this was seen as feminine however I would resist this convention because everyone, regardless of gender, should be allowed to show affection for loved ones. Apart from this, no other practices can be identified in text c, possibly because the users are known to each other and therefore have unspoken conventions when communicating. Whilst the sender is identified in text a, no gender specific language has been used (e.g., personal pronouns) so no gender role can be identified. Potentially social class practices can be implied in terms of remaining respectful and polite, as well as being clear whilst providing a friendly but professional tone. The sender in text a also avoided making any assumptions on gender by the omission of a pronoun and gender-specific language when addressing the recipient (e.g., “Hi Seren"). Apart from this, text b is a website available for the general population with an unknown author and therefore uses inclusive language. For social practices, it can be implied from the text that the website must be inclusive and accessible, with the privacy notice located at the very bottom of the page providing users with transparency. I would not like to resist this because I believe we should all adopt an inclusive approach. This would also be difficult to resist because the author is unknown.

Finally, I learnt these rules and conventions over time through family members and interactions with others. I believe they have been influenced by my education and those I grew up around, and they are still changing and constantly updating with advancements in knowledge and skills. Essentially, I feel I am constantly learning the rules and conventions of each of the three literacies analysed here, and whilst I would not consider myself an expert, I am happy with my current skills and believe I have the resources to develop.

Writing skills were used as I had to email the travel agent to confirm our choice of accommodation, and complete booking forms.

This all required digital literacy skills to navigate websites, and compose and send an email.

At a sentence level, there is a strong use of grammar and punctuation which is expected for a business as they are trying to sell a product. Whole sentences have been used and properly punctuated such as "Rooms are tastefully decorated with soft tones and vibrant art pieces." Headings and subheadings are shorter and some sections structure information in short bullet points. A rhetorical question has also been used to increase engagement with the reader, making the text feel more personable and persuasive (e.g., "Looking for a home-away-from-home in bustling Amsterdam?"). The text has also used a variety of adjectives and positive language to help users visualise the hotel, and increase positive emotions. For example "The hotel’s leafy private courtyard garden provides an oasis away from the crowds." The language is structured clearly with short sentences, and each sentence is direct and provides detailed information. Thus, at sentence levels users can interact by quickly scanning the text to read the information that is important for them.

At a word/symbol level, the text uses mostly everyday terms so everyone can easily interact with it, however some specialist terms can be found, such as "amenities". This links with Bernstein's idea of restricted codes as the reader must be familiar with the term to understand its meaning (Bernstein, 1971, as cited in Ivinson, 2018). Whilst business-related information is written formally, a less formal and more friendly tone is used elsewhere to help improve user interaction. Next to the main picture is a picture of the star rating which represents customer experience and reviews. Users interact with this as they can make a quick inference about the quality of the hotel. Users can also infer the information was taken from TripAdvisor because of the inclusion of the symbol of an owl in green next to it. Further down the text, this star rating is split into sections, and again symbols (coloured circles) are used instead of text to help quickly give users an idea of the hotel. Finally, the website is in English which is a widely spoken language but could prevent some from accessing it.