Not Just Iconic: Emoji Interpretation is Shaped by Use (2023)

Abstract: Where do the meaning of emoji come from? Though it is generally assumed that emoji are fully iconic, with meanings derived from their visual forms, we argue that this is only one component of their meaning. We surveyed users and non-users of the Chinese social media platform WeChat for their interpretations of emoji specific to WeChat. We find that some emoji show significant differences in their interpretations between users and non-users, and based on how familiar a person is with the specific emoji. We argue that this reflects a more complex process for building the meaning of emoji on a platform than pure iconicity.

## discussion our key finding was that familiarity with an emoji can, in some but not all cases, lead to significant differences in the interpretation of that emoji. such differences have been found in previous studies of emoji, but the differences were generally tied to changes in the emoji's form (tigwell and flatla, 2016), multiple meanings for the emoji @xcite , or personal experience @xcite . we found differences even with the same visual forms, and separated from any textual content that might influence the emoji's meanings. this suggests that emoji interpretation is not strictly based on form and iconicity, but that emoji develop richer meanings through use on a platform. they are interpreted through a mixture of form and use, similar to words or other linguistic elements, albeit with a much heavier impact of iconic form. as such, the study of emoji interpretation may gain from treating them through a more linguistic lens.