The Function Of Emoji In Digital Communication In Indonesia

This article aimed at elaborating the functions of emojis used in communication engaged in digital media, especially WhatsApp Group (WAG) and Instagram (IG). This topic was noteworthy due to the empirical facts showing that in communication digital in Indonesia emojis were used as expressions supporting communication nevertheless people often utilized them by breaking the communication logics. In undertaking the research, netnosemiotics, an approach integrating digital ethnography (netnography) and semiotics was applied. Through this study it was revealed that emojis did not only function as visual texts conveying particular messages, but also as the contexts representing the cultural relationship of various types of communication relations. Emojis were signs above signs. At this point, emojis built a communication we called metasemiotics. This finding significantly contributed to the development of digital communication model related to the digital culture as a whole, both at the local and global levels.