2023 | 38

Browsing 2023 | 38 by Author "Ferretti, Andrea"

Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
  • Article
    What do Emojis Stand for?
    Ferretti, Andrea (2023) , S. 196-214
    The integration of digital messaging applications into the most diverse practices of everyday life drives a rethinking of the relationship between bodies, orality, and writing within human communication. Communicative cues such as tone of voice, gestures, facial expressions, etc. find in emojis a way of translating themselves through a new kind of informal writing. Under this lens, some significant aspects of the merging of emojis and alphabetic writing can be investigated. This article reflects on the semiotic features of this translation and on the encyclopedic skills that the use and comprehension of emojis require. Special emphasis is placed on the linguistically mediated nature of emojis meaning. Despite their apparent grounding and iconicity, they can only be explained through the filter of linguistic, cultural, and socio-pragmatic coordinates. In short, the paper provides an understanding of emojis as a semiotic code, which contributes to characterizing digital communication. The semiotic code of emojis creates a space for collective reflection and creativity surrounding the expression of emotions, mutual social evaluation, social relationships, etc. Despite the fragmentation and the exploitative dynamics typical of digital environments, the use of this semiotic code will be depicted as an ongoing collective game, concerned with the replacement of individual bodies, even in the most mundane and informal communicative exchanges.