A CMDA Approach to Studying Graphicons

Graphicons (Herring & Dainas, 2017) and their uses in interpersonal online discourse have attracted attention from varied disciplines, yet research on how graphicons function in digitally mediated discourse is in its infancy. Graphicons such as stickers, images, and GIFs, which have been understudied due to their larger size and greater complexity compared to emoticons and emoji, are especially understudied. This article applies the Computer-Mediated Discourse Analysis (CMDA) framework (Herring, 2004) to a review of literature that deals specifically with these understudied graphicons. The review illustrates a continuity between text-based computer-mediated discourse (CMD) and graphical CMD, demonstrating that graphicons can be studied at all four levels of CMDA and that graphicons share discursive functions across CMDA levels. Additionally, it highlights the importance of utilizing a variety of methodological approaches in a multitude of contexts to fully assess how graphicons function discursively. The article concludes by discussing the challenges and limitations of the approach taken and potential directions for future research.