meta-communication
Meaning about meaning
Meta-communication is communication about communication—signals that frame how a message should be interpreted.
A wink after a sarcastic remark is meta-communication, indicating the words aren't meant literally.
Her tone was friendly, but her meta-communication suggested she was annoyed.
The concept appears in psychology, linguistics, and relationship therapy, where misreading meta-communicative cues often causes conflict.
Language-in-context study
- framingStructural or contextual shaping
- reframingChanging interpretive context
- paradoxSeemingly absurd truth
- cyberneticsCommunication and control science
punctuation · second-order · recursive · reflexive · semiotics
Registering one's presence
- boundariesLines marking separation
- expectationsBeliefs about future outcomes
- consentVoluntary agreement given
- negotiationDiscussion seeking mutual accord
clarification · understanding · misunderstanding · repair · conflict-resolution · trust-building · feedback · transparency
Implicit meaning beneath words
- toneQuality of sound
- implicationIndirect suggestion or consequence
- innuendoOblique disparaging remark
- hintIndirect suggestion
unspoken · body-language · gesture · silence · pause · sarcasm · irony · indirectness
Digital pictograph for messaging
- hashtagLabeled link for posts
- reactionResponse to stimulus
- GIFAnimated image format
- memeShared online humor
seen · like · retweet · quote-tweet · thread · subtweet · vaguebooking · parasocial
pragmatics
Language-in-context study
- framingStructural or contextual shaping
- reframingChanging interpretive context
- paradoxSeemingly absurd truth
cybernetics · punctuation · second-order · recursive · reflexive · semiotics
check-in
Registering one's presence
- boundariesLines marking separation
- expectationsBeliefs about future outcomes
- consentVoluntary agreement given
negotiation · clarification · understanding · misunderstanding · repair · conflict-resolution · trust-building · feedback · transparency · honesty
subtext
Implicit meaning beneath words
- toneQuality of sound
- implicationIndirect suggestion or consequence
- innuendoOblique disparaging remark
hint · unspoken · body-language · gesture · silence · pause · sarcasm · irony · indirectness · passive-aggressive
emoji
Digital pictograph for messaging
meme · seen · like · retweet · quote-tweet · thread · subtweet · vaguebooking · parasocial · netiquette
meta, communication, communicate, communicative, communicator, communique, communicable, incommunicable, excommunicate