Use Of Emojis Research Articles

The Functions and Characteristics of Emojis and Memes in Intimate Interpersonal Online Communication

Emojis and memes have become prevalent in digital communication, particularly in intimate online chatting. This research analyzes the use of emojis and memes in intimate online chatting through the lens of rapport management theory, with a focus on two questions: 1) What are the characteristics of emojis and memes used in intimate online communication? 2) What are the functions of emojis and memes used in intimate online communication? Using ethnographic methods, data is collected from an online chatting group called “Siblings in law,” which consisted of four members. Our findings revealed three characteristics of emojis and memes used in intimate online chatting: 1) Emojis are used more often than memes, but memes are preferred by online interlocutors. 2) Different individuals have different preferences for emojis and memes, and they use emojis or memes that their friends like to use. 3) The same emoji used in a different context may convey different or even opposite meanings. Additionally, we found that emojis and memes in intimate online communication serve three functions: 1) They protect the face of interlocutors by upgrading praise and downgrading ordering utterances. 2) They help realize the association principle of the rapport management theory. 3) Certain types of emojis and memes assist in achieving the interactional goal of intimate online communication.

Gender Differences in the Use of Emojis Among Genders

This study attempted to investigate the gender differences in the use of emojis on social media platforms. Furthermore, the differences in emojis preferences between men and women were investigated. The participants in this study included 10 of males and 10 of females. Data were collected through an adapted questionnaire from Persson (2019) consisting of 10 items. This study used a quantitative method; besides, the data were analyzed using descriptive statistical analyses. The results of this study revealed that there was no significant variation between men and women in the use of emojis. Moreover, the findings showed no significant variation among genders in their preferences of emojis.

Who (and with whom) uses more emoji? Exploring individual, relational, and motivational characteristics driving emoji use

Emoji use, despite being pervasive in digital communication, is often dependent on individual characteristics (e.g., gender, age, personality), relational dimensions (e.g., intimacy with specific others), motives for using them (e.g., because emoji allow to better express emotions), and the context in which they are used (e.g., emoji use is considered more appropriate with closer interlocutors, such as friends). However, research has yet to examine if and how these variables associate with emoji use frequency when considered together. In a correlational study (N = 444), we explored the relative contribution of individual characteristics, perceived relatedness to others, and motives to explain the frequency of emoji use with different interlocutors. Hierarchical linear regressions showed that being younger, scoring higher on conscientiousness, and resorting to emoji for personal contact were correlates of emoji use frequency with closer interlocutors (e.g., family and friends). In contrast, being older, scoring lower on agreeableness, and perceiving more relational intimacy were correlates of emoji use frequency with more distant interlocutors (e.g., supervisors and doctors). Overall, results highlight the need to account for multiple variables at different levels to examine emoji use patterns in digital communication.

The Rise of Web 2.0 and Digital Narcissism: Rethinking the Aesthetics of Death

The study aims to analyze the posts related to death on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Thus, the study examines the gravity of death among the social media users and the impact of digital narcissism on the aesthetics of death. The theoretical framework for this study is based on Christopher Lasch's book The Culture of Narcissism, which provides insights into the influence of web 2.0, particularly the digital platforms that are used to post death related contents. The study utilizes a summative content analysis approach, focusing on selected statuses and corresponding comments on Facebook and Twitter that pertain to death. The findings of the summative content analysis suggest that Facebook and Twitter have been poorly managed, leading to mistreatment of human values and attitudes towards death. For instance, insensitive comments on the death-related posts indicate a form of abuse within these digital platforms. Additionally, the study highlights the growing use of emojis in expressing grief and mourning on the Web 2.0 platforms. The study concludes that the rise of Web 2.0 such as social media platforms has led to a shallow and often disrespectful portrayal of death, ultimately diminishing its intrinsic beauty and significance.

Email Literacy in Higher Education Institutions: A Case Study on Student-Instructor Email Communication at Dhofar University in Oman

Email is one of the means via which students in higher education institutions (HEIs) liaise with instructors to enquire about course materials, assignments, upcoming assessments and seek advice on personal or academic matters. The current study is an attempt to investigate student-instructor email communication focusing on the problematic aspects in students’ emails that affect the process of communication. The study is based on the analysis of one-hundred email messages composed and sent by undergraduate students to their instructors at Dhofar University in Oman. It is concluded that student email messages are often characterized by lack email etiquette rules, linguistic inaccuracies and traits of texting and instant messaging mediums. Several student messages, for instance, lack proper email layout and contain grammar, spelling and punctuation mistakes, indicating that reviewing emails before sending them to teachers does not take place. In addition, informal features such as use of informal vocabulary, excessive use of punctuation marks, non-standard spelling, emojis and emoticons, which reflect unawareness of formality, professionalism and university setting etiquette, are noticeable in students’ email messages. Therefore, pedagogical intervention with respect to acquisition of skills required for writing and perceiving emails is recommended. Education and guidance on the conventions governing email communication can help students communicate more effectively and professionally via email in HEIs, which will promote not only decent practices but also future employability opportunities.

Being unconventional: The impact of unconventional packaging messages on impulsive purchases

AbstractThe visual and textual elements of packaging significantly impact consumer product evaluations. This study examines how unconventional packaging messages—a textual packaging element—influence impulsive product purchases. We also investigate the mediating role of curiosity and the moderating role of emoji (i.e., a visual packaging element). We conduct five studies to test the proposed hypotheses. The findings reveal that unconventional packaging messages are more effective for impulsive products than for planned purchases. Furthermore, unconventional packaging messages increase both healthy and nonhealthy impulsive product purchases. We find that consumer curiosity explains the enhanced impulsive product purchasing when unconventional packaging messages are used. When unconventional packaging messages are employed for impulsive products, the use of emojis increases customer curiosity. The results extend an understanding of unconventional elements in consumer evaluations of products and inform packaging and marketing strategies regarding how to promote impulsive product purchases in competitive markets.

Funny but not Credible? Why Using (Many) Emojis Decreases Message Credibility and Source Trustworthiness

Emojis are paralinguistic elements that are used in computer-mediated communication to express emotions, convey tone, or simply depict objects or statements. This study examines how the (excessive) use of emojis affects knowledge, message credibility, and source trustworthiness. To this end, we conducted three online experiments using social media posts, in which we systematically varied the number of emojis and the source of the message. The results show that displaying many emojis decreases message credibility and source trustworthiness. As a mechanism explaining this effect, we also demonstrate that displaying many emojis is perceived as a persuasive attempt, triggering affective and cognitive reactance, and ultimately reducing message credibility. Moreover, the study shows that using (a large amount of) emojis in a message negatively affects factual knowledge.

Use of Emojis for Vocabulary Enhancement

Vocabulary learning using emojis is fun and would enable the expanding of students’ knowledge on words be it previous learnings or new sets of words. This integration in cloze tests makes the level of vocabulary skills increase. Compared to traditional or simple cloze test where students shall supply and fill in the missing words from a pool of words, this innovative cloze test presents emojis as representation of the missing words that the students will supply to complete the thought of the sentence and the paragraph. To ascertain such contention, this study explored the effectiveness of the use of emojis to enhance vocabulary skills of Grade 10 students. The researcher employed quasi-experimental research design to examine the effectiveness of the use of emoji in cloze test as compared to traditional cloze test. Grade 10 students of Balite National High School (n=40 for experimental group, and n=40 for control group) for the school year 2021-2022, comprised the respondents for this study. To collect the data, the researcher used a Cloze Test. A pre-test was administered before the researcher gave treatment to the experimental class, and a post-test held afterward. For data analysis, the researcher used mean and independent t-test. The findings indicated that there was a significant difference in the level of vocabulary skills of the students between the pretest and posttest of both groups. However, in the control group, the level remained static in low level despite the increase in scores after the posttest. On the other hand, the students’ level of vocabulary skills leaped one level higher after the treatment and in the posttest from average level in the pretest to high level in the posttest. Generally, the integration of emoji in cloze test to enhance vocabulary skills was found better and more effective than the traditional cloze test. Results suggested that the participants have positive perception and attitude towards the use of emojis, viewed this as a tool in improving their vocabulary skills, and kept them motivated.

Use of Emojis and Stickers for Online Interaction Facilitation: A Gender-Based Semiotic Discourse Analysis

Modern technology has revolutionized our methods of communication. Emojis and stickers are the newest advancements that transcend linguistic barriers and act as a universal language. This research paper applies a social semiotic framework to investigate the functions of emojis and stickers in digital discourse. Utilizing a mixed method approach, data has been collected through a web-based questionnaire from 137 participants and semi-structured interviews taken from 10 selected participants. The study aims to explore the central role of emojis and stickers in promoting positive online interaction and identify how their usage facilitates both genders while potentially differing interpretations. The findings suggest that emojis and stickers aid in expressing emotions, clarifying messages, and improving mood during conversations. Furthermore, the study reveals that users utilize emoticons strategically and functionally for various purposes beyond emotional expression. The study concludes that emojis and stickers serve as a global language and are vital in managing interrelations and message comprehension in online communication.

A case for emojis, more or less: An analysis of word and emoji expressivity in text messaging for high and low alexithymia levels

The impact of alexithymia on verbal and non-verbal expressivity was investigated in one of the most prevalent mediums for present-day human interacting, smartphone text messaging. The variety of words and emojis used to express negative, neutral and positive feelings was compared between people with higher and lower levels of alexithymia measured by the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire, controlling for covariates anxiety and depression. Verbal expressivity was not impacted by higher levels of alexithymia, for total scores nor by subscale. Non-verbal expressivity for high-level alexithymia showed differences in variety of emoji on two subscales: compared to low-level alexithymia, higher scores on difficulty describing negative feelings used greater variety of emojis when describing negative feelings, while higher scores on externally oriented thinking used less variety of emojis when describing positive feelings. This may be related to greater and lesser interoceptive ability. Further research is warranted. Findings support facet-level over total scores analyses in informing more nuanced understandings of the impacts of alexithymia in interpersonal communication. They suggest that text messaging may attenuate the impacts of the verbal deficits associated with higher-level alexithymia and that emoji use may be more sensitive to specific alexithymic difficulties in particular valence contexts.

COMPARATIVE REVIEW OF USING EMOJIS IN RUSSIAN AND CHINESE NEW MEDIA

In the modern world, the means of communication have changed dramatically. Mass media and various media forms of messaging have significantly impacted the content and dissemination of traditional linguistic messages and messages containing symbols, leading to the overall development of research in this direction in various branches of science. The emergence of new media is based on the development of the Internet and communication technologies. In this regard, the uniqueness of the culture of new media is explained by the enrichment of corresponding features of the Internet culture, which has specific properties. As an integral element of the new media culture, Internet emojis represent a characteristic communication feature in the new media era. Emojis are visualization-based online linguistic symbols consisting of signs, words, pictures, videos, and other elements. The rapid development of new media has led to online emojis becoming a new way of expression, used daily in communication by Internet users. This article briefly reviews the research on emojis, collects certain information from the Internet about their use, and studies the facts of the origin and development of emojis. It reveals the similarities and differences in emoji usage on Russian and Chinese Internet platforms. For the study of symbolic characteristics of the new media culture, emojis are studied from the lingua-cultural perspective. The study shows that new media's digital and interactive communication capabilities have significantly influenced people's lifestyles and interpersonal interactions, creating socio-linguistic institutions and influencing linguistic and cultural representations. The everyday use of emojis by users of new media in the Russian and Chinese online communities is the result of the development of new media technologies and, at the same time, reflects the influence of globalization and Western culture. Cultural differences between the Chinese and Russian peoples, in turn, manifest themselves in the difference between user preferences and lead to the formation of peculiar trends in the use of emojis.

Emojis: Metonymy in Meaning and Use

Abstract Emojis are changing the way we communicate in digital text interactions nowadays. They allow us to express kinesthetic cues that are always present in face-to-face communication. Such non-verbal cues may be understood as windows into the emotional/attitudinal states of human beings, and they are conventionalized on the basis of metonymy which, as a mental shortcut, automatically connects facial expressions to the feelings and emotions triggering those expressions. Using a new methodological approach in the form of an entry model for metonymic description, the article intends to provide some insights on how the semantics of emojis is deeply linked to metonymic patterns. The emotions analyzed are hilarity and anger. The paper also briefly addresses the meaning and use of emojis for things and non-affective relations.

THE REASONS FOR USING EMOJIS ON WHATSAPP CHATS: A CASE STUDY OF INDONESIAN STUDENTS’ TRANSLINGUAL PRACTICE

<p><span>Translingual practice recognizes language repertoire in which both linguistics and non-linguistics sources are put together in one’s brain and used when necessary (Canagarajah, 2013). Since one’s language repertoire is different from others, the language produced might also be different. The offline and online contexts might also differentiate the production of the language. In online communication, such as communication through WhatsApp, ones can interpret the linguistics and non-linguistic codes differently, including the emojis which are available in WhatsApp. Due to the different language repertoire, there must be reasons why emojis are used differently by WhatsApp users. This present study aims to find the reasons why emojis are used on WhatsApp chats which are written by students in academic contexts. The data is emojis used in WhatsApp chats used by five university students in a private university in Indonesia. Even though only five participants are joining this study, it aims to examine in-depth reasons why the emojis are used in WhatsApp chats. The data is gained by asking the participants to convert the WhatsApp chats to Word files. In addition, to know the detailed information about the interpretations of the use of emojis in WhatsApp, this study applied MIMI (The Mobile Instant Messaging Interview) (Kaufmann & Peil, 2020; Gibson, 2020; Enochsonn, 2011).It is analyzed by using Netnography (Kozinets, 2015). The results show that there are six reasons why the emojis are used on WhatsApp chats. It can be concluded that in Translingual Practice, language is not fixed; instead, the meaning emerges in the language contact zone.</span></p>

The Use of Emoji for Communications Between Role-Players in Twitter: Semiotics Analysis

A sign certainly has a meaning behind it, including the use of emojis. This allows someone to use an emoji to convey something. The meaning behind the use of these emojis can vary. Emoji are used in conversations between individuals and other individuals in an online conversation or in a network (online). The purpose of this research is to reveal the meaning behind the use of emojis used by role-players on Twitter. This research will discuss the delivery of certain meanings by an emoji to the recipient. The data from this study were taken from conversations between role-players on Twitter. This study uses an emoji semiotic approach with a qualitative descriptive method. The results of this study are the first use, emoji can visualize a person's emotions when exchanging messages through social media such as: (1) feelings of joy, (2) apologies and feelings of sadness, (3) satire, (4) support and praise, and (5) shame. Also, emojis are not used for a single situation or feeling. So, emoji can be used to express various kinds of feelings.

The power of emojis: The impact of a leader's use of positive emojis on members' creativity during computer-mediated communications.

The existing literature on emojis offers limited insights on the effects of using emojis in organizational settings, especially in the context of leader-member relationships. The current research examines how a leader's use of positive emojis can influence members' creative performance, a critical determinant of an organization's success and productivity. We find that a leader's use of positive emojis enhances members' creativity and that this effect is mediated by a decrease in members' perception of objectification by the leader. We further find that this impact of a leader's use of positive emojis on members' creativity is stronger when members have a higher level of relationship orientation. Contrary to the popular belief that the use of emojis in a work setting is inappropriate, our findings reveal that leaders' use of emojis has positive impacts on important workplace outcomes. These findings provide important guidelines on how to apply emojis to computer-mediated communications at work by demonstrating the circumstances in which positive consequences of using emojis occur.

Emoji Culture on the WeChat Platform

Emojis are being used more and more frequently in social media communication, and they are appearing in more and more styles in contemporary society. Emojis transcend other visual and graphic languages and are popular across the boundaries of languages, races, cultures, etc. However, the reason for the increasing use of Emojis has not been given much attention. This study attempts to analyze and investigate the reasons why Emojis are actively used on social media. This study refers to research materials in psychology and communication and focuses on WeChat, the most frequently used social media platform in China. This study argues that Emojis have become a way for people to express their emotions quickly and accurately. Beyond textual expression, Emojis can arouse people's empathy. The use of Emojis makes emotions and feelings visible, which plays a role in indenting social distance.

Translating soundscape descriptors with facial emojis

To describe the affects related to the perception of sound environments, the ISO 12913 standard proposes the use of 8 verbal scales (pleasant, chaotic, vibrant, uneventful, calm, annoying, eventful and monotonous) inspired by the theory of emotions proposed by Russell et al., and the Swedish Sounsdcape Quality Protocol. In the context of the international development of this standard, the issue of translating these terms into each language is currently being studied by about 20 research teams around the world in the framework of the “Soundscape Attribute Translation Project”. As a counterpoint to this approach, for languages that will not be considered in the project or for illiterate populations (e.g. children), this study proposes to evaluate the relevance of using facial emojis to translate the verbal attributes. This work proposes a replication of the protocol set out in the “Soundscape Attribute Translation Project” by presenting facial emojis instead of the verbal attributes. A descriptive analysis of the results through a principal component analysis suggests that the variability in the description of emotions with non-verbal attributes can be decomposed on two principal axes (valence and arousal), using verbal attributes and that among 8 verbal attributes, 5 could be replaced by emojis in a direct way. Within the framework of ISO/TS 12913–3 and by transforming the attributes on the two main axes ISOPleasant and ISOEventful, a comparative analysis was also carried out with an experiment following the same protocol but using French verbal attributes. The latter shows a strong correlation between the positioning of the audio recordings on the ISOPleasant (r = 0.95, p < 0.001) and ISOEventful (r = 0.77, p < 0.001) axes. The results are encouraging and the use of facial emojis could potentially be proposed within the ISO standard, although a future extension of this study should be conducted by comparison with other languages/cultures and their acceptance by illiterate populations to confirm the relevance of using facial emojis to translate soundscape descriptors.

Parentheses used as pragmatic strategies in Chinese online socialization

Abstract This paper details the use of parentheses as pragmatic strategies in Chinese network socialization. The data were collected from Weibo, Wechat, QQ and other online social platforms, and analyzed from the perspective of Cyberpragmatics. We consider the pragmatic features and functions of parentheses as an indivisible part of the whole unit in relation to emojis or graphicons. As pragmatic strategies, parentheses aid speakers in indirectly performing various pragmatic intentions, like adding supplementary information to the interaction, isolating different topics, and contrasting content between the text outside and within parentheses. Further pragmatic functions realized by parentheses include indirectly conveying intention, relieving communicative awkwardness and adjusting interlocutors expectations. We conclude that using parentheses as pragmatic strategies in network socialization is the result of the evolution of the Internet language, and varies from the use of other emojis, which directly convey intentions and meaning.

Nonverbal Communication as a Symbol of Love in Long Distance Relationship (LDR)

Communication is a form of interaction that humans do in conveying various forms of messages both verbally and nonverbally. In some cases, such as describing the expression of love and affection towards a partner, humans use nonverbal communication. Research on nonverbal communication as a symbol of love for long-distance partners in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic was carried out using descriptive qualitative research methods. Data were obtained through in-depth interviews using a purposive sampling technique. There were 5 informants. The data analysis process went through the data collection stages. data reduction, data display and conclusions.. The results show that the classification of nonverbal messages in sign language can be represented by the use of emojis when exchanging messages. Furthermore, the language of action can be represented by how couples communicating while in their long distance relationship like exchanging messages, video calling, and so on. Finally, object language can be represented by giving surprises or gifts, exchanging photos, and so on. The conclusion of nonverbal communication as a symbol of affection for long-distance partners can be represented by 3 classifications of nonverbal messages, namely sign language, action language, and object language. The advice given can always maintain the warmth of the relationship even though you are in the middle of a long-distance relationship and better understand each other's love language.

Fostering children's acceptance of educational apps: The importance of designing enjoyable learning activities

ABSTRACTEducational applications (apps) offer opportunities for designing learning activities children enjoy and benefit from. We redesigned a typical mobile learning activity to make it more enjoyable and useful for children. Relying on the technology acceptance model, we investigated whether and how implementing this activity in an app can increase children's intention to use. During the 27‐day study, children (N = 103, 9–14 years) used the app to memorize one‐sentence learning plans each day. Children used three different app‐based learning activities throughout the study. In two standard activities, children reread or reassembled the words of the plan. In the redesigned activity, children represented the meaning of the plan with emojis. Children repeatedly reported on their attitude towards each activity. Subsequently, children reported perceived enjoyment and intention to use the app. Results showed children found the emoji activity most enjoyable, and enjoyment of the emoji activity contributed uniquely towards intention to use. Additionally, children's enjoyment of the app mediated their intention to use the app in the future. Overall, the study suggests that children's enjoyment of an app is crucial in predicting their subsequent intention to use, and it provides a concrete example of how emojis can be used to boost enjoyment. Practitioner notesWhat is already known about this topic Educational applications provide children with unrestricted access to mobile learning resources. Positive attitudes towards educational applications predict behavioural intention to use these applications, at least in young adults. There is a need for more research examining the relevance of enjoyable learning activities in fostering children's sustained usage of an educational application. What this paper adds Positive attitude towards the use of emojis during learning activities uniquely contributed to children's behavioural intention to use the application. Perceived enjoyment predicted behavioural intention to use the application. Perceived enjoyment mediated the effect of attitude towards using learning activities on the behavioural intention to use the mobile educational application. Implications for practice and/or policy These findings highlight the importance of enjoyment for children's' acceptance of educational applications. Enjoyable learning activities are necessary to ensure sustained usage of educational applications. The paper provides a concrete example of how emojis can be used to boost enjoyment of a typical mobile learning activity.