As mobile instant messaging has become a major means of communication with the widespread use of smartphones, emoticons, symbols that are meant to indicate particular emotions in instant messages, have also developed into various forms. The primary purpose of this study is to classify the usage patterns of emoticons focusing on a particular variant known as "stickers" to observe individual and social characteristics of emoticon use and reinterpret the meaning of emoticons in instant messages. A qualitative approach with an in-depth semi-structured interview was used to uncover the motive in using emoticon stickers. The study suggests that besides using emoticon stickers for expressing emotions, users may have other motives: strategic and functional purposes.
['Joon Young Lee', 'Nahi Hong', 'Soomin Kim', 'JongHwan Oh', 'Joonhwan Lee']
Smiley face: why we use emoticon stickers in mobile messaging