THE ROLE OF EMOJIS IN DIGITAL CULTURE: A PERCEPTION RESEARCH ON THE RELATIONSHIP OF EMOJI PREFERENCES WITH COGNITIVE AND AFFECTIVE STATES

Abstract

Nowadays, with the widespread use of technology, our written communication is largely carried out with emojis. The use of emoji has played an important role in shaping digital culture. Emojis, which have become indispensable elements of digital communication, can reflect users' cognitive processes and emotional states, beyond expressing emotions and reinforcing meaning. In line with the purpose of the study, a survey was conducted with 317 people from various age and demographic groups, including students, academicians and university staff studying at foundation and state universities in the Marmara region, who were selected as a purposeful sample. T-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used to evaluate the findings of the study for which ethical permission was obtained. The data obtained emphasize that emojis play an important role in digital culture not only as a means of communication, but also as a means of expressing individuals' inner worlds and instant cognitive states. At the same time, it has been revealed that demographic variables such as gender and age also play a determining role in emoji usage preferences. These findings provide important clues that should be taken into account in the design of digital communication tools and the development of social media platforms.