Overview of research on “emojis” from the perspective of semiotic theory and social semiotics

Abstract

This article provides an overview of emoji research from the perspectives of semiotics and social semiotics. From a semiotic perspective, emojis are viewed as a complex and dynamic system of signs, characterized by their complexity, fluidity in meaning-making, and dynamism in pragmatic functions, despite lacking an independent grammatical structure. From the perspective of social semiotics, research highlights emojis as "semiotic resources" closely linked to ideology, cultural values, and power dynamics, with the potential to foster social adaptation. The two theoretical frameworks complement each other, with social semiotics emphasizing the multimodal nature of emojis and shifting focus to the mechanisms of meaning construction in social practices.