Not Just Iconic: Emoji Interpretation is Shaped by Use

AbstractWhere 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.