EMOJIS AS SOCIAL SIGNALS: A NEW LANGUAGE OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION

Abstract

In digital communication, a substantial share of interaction takes place through short messages, where nonverbal cues–intonation, facial expressions, and gestures–are only minimally represented. Under these conditions, emojis become functional markers that help encode the emotional tone of an utterance, clarify the sender’s intent, coordinate levels of closeness and politeness, and reduce the risk of ambiguous interpretation. They operate as social signals that support the coordination of meanings between interlocutors and help preserve social “warmth” in written exchanges. At the same time, variability in emoji interpretation necessitates analyzing them as a new language of mutual understanding. Purpose of the study. To theoretically substantiate the understanding of emojis as a system of social signals in interpersonal communication and to reveal the mechanisms through which they influence message interpretation, impression management, trust formation, the expression of support, and adherence to communicative norms in digital channels. Scientific novelty. An integrative interpretation of emojis is proposed as a semi-standardized repertoire of signs that combines semantic (content marking), pragmatic (intent marking), and relational (relationship construction) functions. The contextual nature of emoji meaning is specified: it emerges at the intersection of the platform and rendering mode, cultural conventions, the situational purpose of the message, and the prior interaction history of the communicative partners. It is argued that emojis function as controllable self-presentation signals that adjust interpretation without changing the factual content of the message, while also potentially becoming a source of misunderstanding in the absence of shared conventions. Conclusions. Emojis should be viewed as a new language of social coordination in digital dialogue: they encode attitudes, intentions, and relational boundaries, increase the accuracy of text interpretation, and reduce the likelihood of conflict-prone readings. Their effectiveness depends on shared norms and a common context; therefore, sensitivity to the addressee, appropriate sign selection, and consideration of platform-specific rendering differences are crucial. A promising direction is empirical research on the impact of emojis on trust, mutual support, and mutual understanding in educational, professional, and everyday communication