The Changing Face of Everyday Communication: Emojis As Catalysts

Dr. Alka Jain

Assistant Professor, English, Rani Lakshmi Bai Central Agricultural University, Jhansi

Keywords: Emoji, communications, digital communication, visual communication, language evolution


Abstract

In today’s digital communications world, emojis have revolutionized daily communication, transcending text-based messages and linguistic and cultural barriers to become significant components of everyday communication. They convey emotions, ideas, cultural nuances as well as social evolution. This research article explores the evolving and multi-faced role of emojis in modern communication, by examining their historical dimension, linguistic dimension and impact on expression, sociocultural influences and implications, and technological advancements. The paper sheds light on the multifaceted nature of emojis and their transformative effects on communication practices in the digital age. There is a thriving relationship between emojis and human interaction, highlighting their role as catalysts for creativity, connection, and understanding in the digital age. Emojis convey a diverse range of emotions like laughter, love, sorrow, and triumph, standing as meaningful and potential symbols of everyday communication, in diverse communities across the world.


References

Amruthavarshini. “5 Brands Who Did Emoji Campaigns Right & What You Can Learn from Them.” Zoho Social, Accessed on 31 Jan. 2024, https://www.zoho.com/social/journal/5-brands-who-didemoji-campaigns-right-and-what-your-brandcan-learn-from-them.html.

Baron, N. S. Words Onscreen: The Fate of Reading in a Digital World, Oxford University Press, 2015.

Crystal, D. Language and the Internet, Cambridge University Press, 2006.

Dong, Z., et al. “Exploring the Influence Factors of Emoji Misunderstanding in Communication.” IEEE Access, vol. 7, 2019, pp. 26511-26523.

Dresner, E., & Herring, S. C. “Functions of the Nonverbal in CMC: Emoticons and Illocutionary Force.” Communication Theory, vol. 20, no. 3, 2010, pp. 249-268.

Evans, D. The Emoji Code: The Linguistics Behind Smiley Faces and Scaredy Cats, Picador, 2016.

Hermann, E. “How a Joke Can Change the World: The Meaning of Emoticons.” Open Cultural Studies, vol. 1, no. 1, 2016, pp. 548-555.

Johnson, Carole. “New Research Shows That Where We Come From Can Influence Our Use of Emojis.” Miami University, Accessed on 7 Feb. 2024, https://www.miamioh.edu/news/top-stories/2021/11/cultural-backgrounds-can-influence-use-ofemojis.html.

Liu, M. “Are You Really Smiling? Display Rules for Emojis and the Relationship between Emotion Management and Psychological Well-being.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 14, 2023. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1035742

Liu, S., & Sun, R. “To Express or to End? Personality Traits Are Associated with the Reasons and Patterns for Using Emojis and Stickers.” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 11, 2020, p. 1076.

Miller, D., & Sinanan, J. Visualising Facebook: A Comparative Perspective, UCL Press, 2017. MoMA. www.moma.org/collection/works/ 196070.

Pavalanathan, U., & Eisenstein, J. “Confounds and Consequences in Geotagged Twitter Data.” Proceedings of the 2015 Conference on Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing, 2015, pp. 2138-2148.

Silva, Christina. “The Watermelon Emoji Indicates Solidarity with Palestine.” Mashable India, 2023.

Shi, H., Liu, X., Li, K., &Xie, J. “Emoji Usage and Interpersonal Relationship in ComputerMediated Communication.” International Joint Conference on Information, Media and Engineering, 2019, pp. 262–266.

Wolf, A. “Emotional Expression Online: Gender Differences in Emoticon Use.” Cyberpsychology &Behavior, vol. 3, no. 5, 2000, pp. 827–833.