Emoticons: a tool for social change or yet another dark aspect of

modernity?
Cave paintings to hieroglyphs to Morse Code to now emoticons. Humans have
been using pictorial forms as a tool of linguistic expression since the beginning
of language itself and therefore emoticons (a portmanteau for emotional icons)
or emojis are only the latest form in a long-standing tradition of using
pictographs for expression. However, in recent times, these seemingly
innocuous smiley faces have become a cause for controversy.
When Oxford Dictionary chose the popular face with tears of joy emoji as its
Word of the Year in 2015, it was an indication of the present reality where
emojis are reaching the status of official components of language, as we know
it.
Emoticons have been criticized by some for being a poor substitute for gestures,
facial expressions, verbal intonations and inflections, etc which enrich face-to-
face interactions. Some have even heralded the rise of excessive emoji usage as
the death of meaningful communication and as poor substitutes for the rich
experience of sight, sound, and touch.
This point of view reflects an increasing global trend of disillusionment with
modernity and its compulsions.
Although some linguistic studies experts believe that to the contrary, memes are
not a sign of the death of language but are enrichments to it.1
Especially in a post-pandemic world with the ease of physical interactions
always under threat of being made virtual, proponents of this view argue that
emoticons are in fact, a good substitute for gestures that convey the full force of
emotions that may not be adequately realized via text alone. They hold the
opinion that rather than encumbering creativity of expression, using emoticons
in the text is an efficient way of expressing our feelings and even complex
ideas.2
They have the potential to surpass language barriers and supplement the
shortcomings of lost-in-translation scenarios.
Beyond interpersonal communication also, emoticons have been a valuable tool
for academicians and researchers in the dissemination of knowledge to the
masses. The benefits of emoticons in this aspect have been particularly brought
1
https://theconversation.com/emoji-arent-ruining-language-theyre-a-natural-substitute-for-gesture-118689

2
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326225921_Emojinating_Representing_Concepts_Using_Emoji
into the limelight during the Covid-19 pandemic. Emojipedia (an emoji
reference website) utilized emoticons to convey public health directives about
handwashing, masking up, and using sanitizers.3
In another famous instance of using emoticons for raising awareness on social
issues, when the Chinese social media platform Weibo started suppressing the
online #metoo campaign, users responded by using the "rice" and "bunny"
emojis which, in Mandarin, are pronounced as "mi" and "tu", thus
circumventing censorship.4
However, there has been a dark side to the rise of emoticons as well. Emoticons
have played a significant role in several incidents of online bullying,
harassment, and hate speech.
In the article, "EMOJIS, NOT WORDS: HATE, BULLYING, AND
HARASSMENT", Tetiana Avdieieva documents several of such incidents in
recent years.5
The use of the vomit emojis and angry emojis in cases of Islamophobic
campaigns on Facebook. The dehumanizing effect of such usage of those
emoticons has been recognized as fuelling Islamophobic sentiments in virtual
spaces which eventually materialize offline, in the real world.6
Similarly, the use of the monkey emojis in the comment section of Black British
footballer Bukayo Saka's Instagram after England's defeat in the Euro 2020
final, was condemned for its racist nature. The reason being is the painful
history of historically racist caricatures of people of African origin with
monkeys.7
Emoticons are now a recurring feature in several legal cases around the world.
In 2016, a British judge analyzed emoticons in a text message as part of
deciding a custody case. In the same year, a French court decided the use of a
gun emoji by a man to his ex-girlfriend constituted evidence of threatening and
abusive. There have also been concerns over the usage of certain emojis that are
3
https://theconversation.com/how-the-emoji-could-help-democratise-online-science-dialogue-154390

4
https://theconversation.com/from-metoo-to-ricebunny-how-social-media-users-are-campaigning-in-china-
90860

5
https://cedem.org.ua/en/analytics/emojis-not-words-hate-bullying-and-harassment/

6
https://theconversation.com/how-the-use-of-emoji-on-islamophobic-facebook-pages-amplifies-racism-
105285

7
https://blog.emojipedia.org/how-the-monkey-emoji-is-racist/
understood to be of a suggestive nature, in incidents of online sexual
harassment.
These unfortunate incidents validate concerns about the popularization of
emoticon usage. In light of such instances, several social media platforms have
now instituted community guidelines and are taking action against offenders.
It must be remembered that emoticons, much like any other aspect of the digital
realm, are instruments that can be wielded appropriately; provided there is
awareness created among users. Proper mechanisms need to be put in place to
prevent its harmful misuse.