Emoji as social semiotic resources for meaning-making in discourse: Mapping the functions of the toilet emoji in Cher’s tweets about Donald Trump

Abstract

Emoji have emerged as a significant feature of modern discourse through the proliferation of social media. Noted for their ability to create meaning across linguistic boundaries, emoji are strongly associated with informal interaction where they serve to build and maintain social bonds. Following in the footsteps of Zappavigna (2011, 2015, 2018) I use a social semiotic approach to analyze how the celebrity, Cher, creates meaning across the strata of discourse and builds affinity with her followers through the use of the toilet emoji in relation to Donald Trump. The approach is successful at elucidating the complex layers of meaning which a single emoji can enact, providing further evidence of the value of the social semiotic approach in the context of global media. The affinity that is created by the toilet emoji can be understood through attitude-ideation couplings, where the coupling is made more 'bondable' to her ambient audience through the system of promotion. The possibility of an emoji enacting both attitude and ideation in a coupling is suggested and implications for how we understand certain semiotic choices discussed.