Emoji and Text Combined: How They Affect and Relate to Each Other in Advertisement on Twitter

Abstract

This research is motivated by the abundance of emoji usage in social media. However, the research that focuses on the status relation and the function of emoji in meaning construction in a text is rather limited. This paper examines the status relation of emoji and textual mode, and functions of emoji as used by two selected musicians in posting advertisement on Twitter. The data consists of combinations of emoji and textual element taken from Katy Perry and Bruno Mars’ advertisement uploads on Twitter. In order to determine the status relation and the function, I used Martinec and Salway’s generalized system of image-text relation (2005). In terms of status relation, the conclusion that emerges is that, in context of advertisement, emoji is positioned as subordination, complement and independent of text mode. Emoji is seen to be ineffective to convey specific message and, in purpose to have understandable meaning, it needs to be embedded along with textual element. Furthermore, the emoji serves several functions. They can serve as elaboration, extension, enhancement: place and projection: locution. In other words, emoji functions as synonym or hyponym of the textual element, additional information beyond the textual element and circumstantial participant in a transitivity process.