Sarah Wiseman: Why does 🍕mean "I love you" – The ways that we use and misuse emoji
Channel: Electromagnetic Field
Date: 2018-09-02

There are a number of emoji that, when used in digital communications, don't always refer to their original meaning. The peach emoji, for example, has been found through research conducted by emojipedia to refer most often not to the fruit, but to buttocks. Other fruit and vegetables emoji have suffered a similar fate.

In this talk I will explore the ways that emoji are frequently misunderstood or misused - referring to some of the leading research conducted by academics in the area. I will conclude with peer reviewed research that I have conducted looking at the ways we assign new meaning to emoji when communicating with a single other person. Why do we do this and how do we choose the emoji we use. Why is it that despite there being a heart emoji available, some of us choose to use 🍕 to say "I love you"?

The set is presented in a stand up comedy-style and despite discussing academic research is very accessible to any range of audience. Although parental guidance may be advised.


Sarah Wiseman

https://media.ccc.de/v/emf2018-373-why-does-mean-i-love-you-the-ways-that-we-use