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- ISSN: 2382-6282 (Print); 2972-3108 (Online)
- Abbreviated Title: Int. J. Lang. Lit. Linguist.
- Frequency: Bimonthly
- DOI: 10.18178/IJLLL
- Editor-in-Chief: Dr. Jason Miin-Hwa Lim
- Managing Editor: Jennifer X. Zeng
- Indexed by: CNKI, Google Scholar, Crossref,
- E-mail: ijlll_Editor@126.com
IJLLL 2023 Vol.9(5): 350-355
DOI: 10.18178/IJLLL.2023.9.5.430
DOI: 10.18178/IJLLL.2023.9.5.430
The Functions and Characteristics of Emojis and Memes in Intimate Interpersonal Online Communication
Liu Xuanxu* and Dong Junhong
Abstract—Emojis and memes have become prevalent in
digital communication, particularly in intimate online chatting.
This research analyzes the use of emojis and memes in intimate
online chatting through the lens of rapport management theory,
with a focus on two questions: 1) What are the characteristics of
emojis and memes used in intimate online communication? 2)
What are the functions of emojis and memes used in intimate
online communication? Using ethnographic methods, data is
collected from an online chatting group called “Siblings in law,”
which consisted of four members. Our findings revealed three
characteristics of emojis and memes used in intimate online
chatting: 1) Emojis are used more often than memes, but memes
are preferred by online interlocutors. 2) Different individuals
have different preferences for emojis and memes, and they use
emojis or memes that their friends like to use. 3) The same
emoji used in a different context may convey different or even
opposite meanings. Additionally, we found that emojis and
memes in intimate online communication serve three functions:
1) They protect the face of interlocutors by upgrading praise
and downgrading ordering utterances. 2) They help realize the
association principle of the rapport management theory. 3)
Certain types of emojis and memes assist in achieving the
interactional goal of intimate online communication.
Index Terms—Emoji, meme, interpersonal relationship, rapport management theory
The authors are with the Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, China. E-mail: Liuxuanxu@mail.nwpu.edu.cn
Index Terms—Emoji, meme, interpersonal relationship, rapport management theory
The authors are with the Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, China. E-mail: Liuxuanxu@mail.nwpu.edu.cn
Cite: Liu Xuanxu and Dong Junhong, "The Functions and Characteristics of Emojis and Memes in Intimate Interpersonal Online Communication," International Journal of Languages, Literature and Linguistics vol. 9, no. 5, pp. 350-355, 2023.