Abstract
This article first presents facts and figures about emoji use, which, as is pointed out, is by no means restricted to private everyday communication (Section 1). Next, two studies are discussed, shedding light on the following questions: on the one hand, whether emojis are indeed preferred by younger people and, on the other, which impression the use of specific emojis with positive or negative connotations leaves with the addressee of text messages (Section 2). The heart of this essay follows in Section 3—it focuses on emoji use during the COVID-19 crisis (which, at the time of writing, is still ongoing). Here, observations concerning new forms of emoji use on Facebook and in types of video chat (such as Zoom and Skype) are collected.
Dürscheid, Christa