Emojis in Education: a Comparative Analysis of Digital Platforms

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir-2025-1858

Keywords:

emojis, educational field, digital platforms, graphic-visual design, perceptions, interpretation, digital writing, communicative effectiveness

Abstract

Introduction: The technological revolution has led to the reintroduction of symbols in communication, a practice previously used in ancient writing systems. Thus, although they are not a 21st-Century innovation, digitalisation has motivated using emojis in digital communication, acquiring unique and distinctive designs across platforms, which can cause multiple interpretations and affect communicative effectiveness. Methodology: The study aims to carry out a comparative analysis of the representations of 24 emojis on various platforms in the educational field, using a descriptive approach based on characterisations of graphic-visual design. Results: The data analysis highlighted significant differences between the perceptions of emojis depending on the platform used, identifying four distinct groups concerning graphic-visual design. Discussions: More detailed and consistent emojis aid communication by reducing semantic and emotional ambiguity. However, the inconsistency of some representations can lead to misinterpretation and make messages difficult to understand. Conclusions: Thus, the perceptual variability of their graphic-visual designs depending on the platform used in the educational environment questions their conception as universalised symbols.

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Author Biographies

María Pérez Hernández, University of Seville

Primary Education Teacher specialising in English Language and graduated in Professional Piano Teaching, with a Master's Degree in Educational Research and Innovation in Curriculum Areas. Intern at the Department of Language and Literature Didactics and Integrated Philology of the University of Seville and awarded with a second prize for the Best Final Project related to the research field of digital literacy and foreign language teaching.

Coral Ivy Hunt Gómez, University of Seville

Professor in the Department of Language and Literature Didactics and Integrated Philology at the University of Seville. Her research interests include digital literacy, future teacher training and the teaching of second or foreign languages. She has published extensively and has participated in various research projects of diverse scope related to digital communication and its influence on education.

Mario Ferreras Listán, University of Seville

Doctor in Didactics of Experimental, Social and Mathematical Sciences, graduate in Psychopedagogy, graduate in Primary Education, with Masters in Didactics of Sciences, and in Natural and Cultural Heritage, he is currently Professor at the University of Seville, in the area of Didactics of Social Sciences. He belongs to the DESYM research group (HUM-168) whose aim is to contribute to the improvement of the initial and ongoing training of science teachers. His main lines of research are framed in heritage education, education for citizenship, training of teachers of Social Sciences, educational materials and resources and education from the gender perspective. He is a member of scientific networks such as Red 14, Innovagogía, RedGen, etc.

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Published

2025-02-26

How to Cite

Pérez Hernández, M., Hunt Gómez, C. I., & Ferreras Listán, M. (2025). Emojis in Education: a Comparative Analysis of Digital Platforms. European Public & Social Innovation Review, 10, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir-2025-1858

Issue

Section

Education