The Visual Language of Emojis: A Study on College Students’ Social Support Communication in Online Social Networks

Abstract

The transition from high school to college can be stressful, and research suggests that stress is often the trigger of mental health issues like depression and anxiety among college students. Social support can be critical in helping young adults adjust to college and buffering college students from the negative effects of stress. In this digital media age, social support can be attained through interactions on social network sites such as Facebook or Instagram. A major disadvantage of computer-mediated interactions is the difficulty of incorporating nonverbal cues such as facial and gestural expressions. While the absence of visual cues has been a challenge for effective online supportive communication, the recent emergence of emojis addresses this issue. This dissertation examines how college students use emojis to communicate social support on Instagram. Specifically, it examines how emoji use is associated both with stress and with types of social support messages. Three empirical studies were conducted: content analysis of Instagram posts including the #collegeproblems hashtag, content analysis of the visual representations of emojis, and five focus groups with undergraduate college students. Results show that college students share thoughts about schoolwork, self-expression, and physical and mental health on Instagram. In addition, emojis are often used to enhance the sentiment of a message or express empathy, as well as to convey humorous or sarcastic expressions. The ambiguity of emojis makes it particularly suitable for emotional communication because one of the benefits of visual language communication is its interpretive flexibility. However, the findings also indicate that visual representation discrepancies with the current design and development of emojis can cause miscommunication and lead to unsupportive interactions. As one of the first studies examining the role of emojis in online supportive communication, this dissertation offers theoretical and practical implications regarding the use of visual graphics in social support. Concepts and measurements used in this study inform future studies in online communication, emojis, and visual communication. For scholars interested in studying social support and empathy, this study provides a mixed-methods framework for understanding these complex concepts.