Showing posts with label Android. Show all posts

Friday, 26 August 2022

Want emoji stickers to end #WhatsApp chats with #cyberbullies? The #Shushmoji app on #Android is here!

Written for emoji sticker fans and recipients of harassment via WhatsApp.

The Shushmoji app for WhatsApp on Android is now available via Google Play. This app was developed as an easy method of using Shushmojis as end-of-conversation points versus cyberbullies. As the Shushmoji ® name suggests, the app's emoji stickers are intended to silence irritating noise, just like a 'shush!’ silencing noisy brats.

Check out examples for Shushmoji use in WhatsApp on Pinterest or createwith.net.

The app was initially developed for Create With by interns at Younglings Africa. Michael Pretorius at Younglings Development Studio (YDS) completed the app for the Google Play Store's vetting. An Android version was developed first, since Younglings Africa had experience developing for it. It's also the easiest to develop and secure approval for. {P.S. Mac fans, YDS is working on an Apple iOS version for release in the fourth quarter}.

As this Slideshare presentation explains, my research into online academic bullying and strategies for countering cyber-harassment inspired both the Shushmoji ® concept and its apps. I maintain a Google research spreadsheet (http://bit.ly/2D8qv0k) that shares many strategies against cyber-harassment, plus links to salient online resources. One strategy is for a recipient of cyber-harassment to use emoji stickers for flagging the end-point of a low-value/anti-social conversation. However, high-quality designs that address a wide range of cyber-harassment activities seem to be M.I.A!

The Shushmoji emoji sticker sets were developed in response to this visual aesthetic communication gap. In the app, 30 stickers are available to use for free. Users may purchase sticker sets for the themes they like.

There are currently five sets to buy:

Stop, silly troll! was designed by Janine Venter to poke fun at all-too-common types of cyber-harassment.

Stop, sinner! was also drawn by Janine to flag many naughty (and not nice!) behaviours.

Stop, academic bully! was illustrated by Marlon Albertyn to spotlight the different kinds of academic bullies one can meet in the Ivory Tower.

Stop, silly ass! was drawn by Dominique Whelan, who loves drawing donkeys and worked on the set for "a(ss) laugh". These stickers flag a**holes with silly ass emoji stickers speaking to their asinine behaviours.

Stop, torturer! was illustrated by Studio Dolby and spotlights torturous "conversationalists".

An educational rationale also exists where Shushmojis can illustrate the particular dodgy roles and/or anti-social strategies that cyber harassers follow. For those interested in sampling these stickers, the vector designs for each set are for sale via: Silly Troll, Academic bully, Silly Ass, Sinner and Torturer.

New Shushmoji sets are planned (such as Stop, Dumb Bot!) to close visual gaps for different roles and types of harassment (vs. doxxers and bot farm orchestrators). Hopefully, each set will prove useful for those wanting to express disinterest in continuing chats with cyberbullies. WhatsApp stickers should prove useful to flag this and a perp’s particular style of harassment. Of course, the stickers may also be used to poke fun at tactless friends and colleagues…

Please download the app, use it and let the world know of your good experience via a Google Play Store app review.

N.B. For updates on the Shushmoji ® app versions, you can follow Create With on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter or LinkedIn, ta.

P.S. Several app iterations were trialed by Younglings Africa before the app's approval. Zaakirah Abrams led the most recent testing- her 2022 Shushmoji app report is here.

Wednesday, 24 November 2021

Shushmoji app briefing presentation to Younglings' interns and mobile dev leadership

Written for interns at Younglings who expressed an interest in working on the Shushmoji app for Android and Apple

I recently presented on the background to Create With's Shushmoji app to Younglings. Its interns will be working to complete an Android version this year and an Apple version for launch in 2022.

Shushmoji app for Younglings developers 2021 from Travis Noakes

The hyperlinks from the presentation are shared below for ease-of-access:

SLIDE 3

Travis Noakes' research at www.travisnoakes.co.za/p/researcher.html
Create With at createwith.net/

SLIDE 4

Anti-trolling graphics to end abusive conversations at samultimodality.wordpress.com/2018/11/26/anti-trolling-graphics-to-end-abusive-conversations-how-to-whack-a-troll/

Online academic bullying project at researchgate.net/project/Online-academic-bullying

SLIDE 5

The Noakes Foundation Lab for Low Carb Nutrition Research at researchgate.net/lab/The-Noakes-Foundation-Lab-for-Low-Carb-Nutrition-Research-Timothy-D-Noakes

SLIDE 6

Younglings’ Social Media and Internet Lab for Research (SMILR)

linkedin.com/posts/younglingsafrica_empowering-software-development-interns-activity-6844615195738816512-Kj_u