The use of emojis on social media platforms in facilitating inter-cultural communication

Abstract

The aim of this research is to explore the use of emojis on social media platforms in facilitating inter-cultural communications. Upon analysis, it is found out that emojis can be comprehended differently in different cultural contexts. Moreover, in some countries or minor cultural groups, emojis are even banned to be used in daily communication processes as they may trigger defence. The use of emojis, is appropriately, can help reduce cultural misunderstandings as emojis can help express nuanced emotional states of message senders. From the perspective of receivers, understanding emojis' meanings well and in consistent with different cultural contexts, can help them understand personality traits and attitudes held by message senders. Lastly, using emojis can increasing inter-cultural communication intention and efficiency, as emojis can attract online users to communicate with one another more frequently.