Understanding Emoji Across Culture in Digital Communication: A Study among Undergraduate Students

Emojis have been widely used among undergraduate students as a communicative tool. This study investigates the interpretation of emoji among undergraduate students focusing on three major cultures in Malaysia, namely the Malays, Chinese, and Indians. The respondents are undergraduate students who are digital natives from various parts of the country. It focuses on their interpretation of selected facial emoji namely, the smiling face with heart-eyes, baby, folded hands, and clapping hands. This research analyses the data through identifying the interpretation of the emoji according to each culture, which is then followed by the analysis of differences in terms of semantic misconstrual between the cultures among students. The data reveals that (i) there are common interpretations shared among the three cultures for each emoji, which highlighting the universal inherent meaning possessed by emoji in digital communication, (ii) there are some additional interpretations from each culture for each emoji, which highlighting the culturally specific interpretation for each emoji depending on their cultural beliefs, and (iii) each culture unveils different degrees of variation in terms of interpretation for each emoji that were tested, highlighting potential misinterpretation among cultures in intercultural communication. The study also showcases differences in terms of the usage of emojis between cultures. In conclusion, the study provides evidence that emoji interpretation can be influenced by cultural idiosyncrasies, and understanding the differences in cultural beliefs can help facilitate smoother intercultural communication in digital communication among multicultural undergraduate students in Malaysia.