1887
  1. Home
  2. e-Journals
  3. Journal of Language Aggression and Conflict
  4. Online First Articles
  5. Online First Article
image of Emojis as tools of collective judgment
USD
Buy:$35.00 + Taxes

Abstract

Abstract

Cancel culture has proliferated in cyberspace; groups target actions perceived as morally wrong to assert their ethical stance. These attacks aim to punish or “cancel” specific users, often in attempts to ostracize them from digital spaces, with possible real-world repercussions. In this study, we examine the pragmatic role of emojis in cancel culture discourse by analyzing Instagram comments from four prominent Brazilian cancellation cases, applying a form-to-function corpus pragmatics approach. Our findings indicated that face emojis were used most frequently, conveying users’ emotional stance, including frequent use as sarcasm cues. However, non-facial emojis referenced the reason for the cancellation or were used metaphorically to intensify the nature of the criticism. Thus, emojis not typically linked to negativity can be repurposed to express shared values and reinforce collective disapproval. Ultimately, this study sheds light on the nuanced micro-level dynamics of emoji use in cancel culture, highlighting their role in amplifying group solidarity and expressing disapproval of the target.

© John Benjamins Publishing Company
Loading

Article metrics loading...

/content/journals/10.1075/jlac.00149.mir
2026-03-13
2026-04-20

  • From This Site

    /content/journals/10.1075/jlac.00149.mir
    dcterms_title,dcterms_subject,pub_keyword
    -contentType:Journal -contentType:Contributor -contentType:Concept -contentType:Institution
    10
    5
Loading full text...

Full text loading...

References

  1. Alfano, Mark, Ritsaart Reimann, Ignacio Ojea Quintana, Anastasia Chan, Marc Cheong, and Colin Klein
    2023 “The Affiliative Use of Emoji and Hashtags in the Black Lives Matter Movement in Twitter.” Social Science Computer Review (): –. 10.1177/08944393221131928
     https://doi.org/10.1177/08944393221131928 [Google Scholar]
  2. AoIR
    AoIR 2020 “Internet Research: Ethical Guidelines 3.0.” AccessedSeptember 2024 https://aoir.org/reports/ethics3.pdf.
  3. Attardo, Salvatore.
    2013 “Intentionality and Irony.” InIrony and Humor: From Pragmatics to Discourse, edited byLeonor Ruiz Gurillo and M. Belén Alvarado Ortega, –. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/pbns.231.04att
     https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.231.04att [Google Scholar]
  4. Barton, David, and Carmen Lee
    2013 Language Online: Investigating Digital Texts and Practices. London: Routledge. 10.4324/9780203552308
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203552308 [Google Scholar]
  5. Bednarek, Monika
    2009 “Corpora and Discourse: A Three-Pronged Approach to Analyzing Linguistic Data.” InSelected Proceedings of the 2008 HCSNet Workshop on Designing the Australian National Corpus, edited byMichael Haugh, Kate Burridge, Jean Mulder and Pam Peters, –. Somerville: Cascadilla Proceedings Project.
     [Google Scholar]
  6. Bettelli, Giulia, and Francesca Panzeri
    2023 “Irony Is Easy to Understand: The Role of Emoji in Irony Detection.” Intercultural Pragmatics (): –. 10.1515/ip‑2023‑5001
     https://doi.org/10.1515/ip-2023-5001 [Google Scholar]
  7. Brasil, Ministério de Estado da Saúde, Conselho Nacional de Saúde
    Brasil, Ministério de Estado da Saúde, Conselho Nacional de Saúde 2016 Resolução nº 510, de 7 de abril de 2016: Trata sobre as diretrizes e normas regulamentadoras de pesquisa em ciências humanas e sociais. Brasília, DF: MES: CNS. AccessedMay 10, 2024. https://conselho.saude.gov.br/resolucoes/2016/Reso510.pdf.
     [Google Scholar]
  8. Broni, Keith
    2020 “Spread of the Coronavirus Emoji.” Emojipedia, March 11, 2020. https://blog.emojipedia.org/spread-of-the-coronavirus-emoji/.
     [Google Scholar]
  9. Carneiro, Marisa Mendonça
    2024 “Buy my Emoji: An Analysis of Ads in Twitter/X.” Linguagem em (Dis)curso: –. 10.1590/1982‑4017‑24‑14
     https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-4017-24-14 [Google Scholar]
  10. Chalabi, Mona
    2014 “The 100 Most-Used Emojis.” FiveThirtyEight, June 5, 2014. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-100-most-used-emojis/.
     [Google Scholar]
  11. Christian, Alexander
    2020 “Who Is Afraid of Mr. Yuk? The Display of the Basic Emotion of Disgust in an ‘Analogue Precursor’ to Contemporary Emoji.” InEmoticons, Kaomoji, and Emoji: The Transformation of Communication in the Digital Age, edited byElena Giannoulis and Lukas R. A. Wilde, –. London: Routledge. 10.4324/9780429491757‑11
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429491757-11 [Google Scholar]
  12. Cohn, Neil, Jan Engelen, and Joost Schilperoord
    2019 “The Grammar of Emoji? Constraints on Communicative Pictorial Sequencing.” Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications (): –. 10.1186/s41235‑019‑0177‑0
     https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-019-0177-0 [Google Scholar]
  13. Côrtes, Tiago da Silva, and Luís Francisco Munaro
    2024 “The Strategies of the ‘Brand New Groomers’ to Spread Digital Pornographic Material.” Brazilian Journal of Business (): –. Curitiba.
     [Google Scholar]
  14. Crystal, David
    2011 Internet Linguistics: A Student Guide. New York: Routledge. 10.4324/9780203830901
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203830901 [Google Scholar]
  15. Danesi, Marcel
    2017 The Semiotics of Emoji: The Rise of Visual Language in the Age of the Internet. London: Bloomsbury Academic. 10.5040/9781474282024
     https://doi.org/10.5040/9781474282024 [Google Scholar]
  16. De Freitas e Silva, Angelica
    2025 “Fire: The Decolonial Pedagogy of Subversion in Césaire and Djonga.” InDecolonizing Knowledge: Looking Back, Moving Forward, edited byRhada D’Souza and Sunera Thobani, –. London: Bloomsbury Academic. 10.5040/9798765125496.0010
     https://doi.org/10.5040/9798765125496.0010 [Google Scholar]
  17. Dershowitz, Alan
    2020 Cancel Culture: The Latest Attack on Free Speech and Due Process. New York: Skyhorse Publishing.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Dresner, Eli, and Susan C. Herring
    2010 “Functions of the Nonverbal in CMC: Emoticons and Illocutionary Force.” Communication Theory: –. 10.1111/j.1468‑2885.2010.01362.x
     https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2010.01362.x [Google Scholar]
  19. Escouflaire, Louis
    2021 “Signaling Irony, Displaying Politeness, Replacing Words: The Eight Linguistic Functions of Emoji in Computer-Mediated Discourse.” Lingvisticæ Investigationes (): –. 10.1075/li.00062.esc
     https://doi.org/10.1075/li.00062.esc [Google Scholar]
  20. Esposito, Jennifer
    2023 “Free Speech, Cancel Culture, Race, Privilege, and Higher Education: An Intersectional Analysis of Netflix’s The Chair.” Innovative Higher Education: –. 10.1007/s10755‑023‑09659‑4
     https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-023-09659-4 [Google Scholar]
  21. Evans, Vyvyan
    2017 The Emoji Code: The Linguistics behind Smiley Faces and Scaredy Cats. New York: Picador.
     [Google Scholar]
  22. 2018 “Breaking the Emoji Code.” Psychology Today. AccessedSeptember 22, 2024. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/language-in-the-mind/201804/breaking-the-emoji-code.
     [Google Scholar]
  23. Freyre, Gilberto
    1986 The Masters and the Slaves: A Study in the Development of Brazilian Civilization. Translated bySamuel Putnam. Berkeley: University of California Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  24. Garcés-Conejos Blitvich, Pilar
    2022 “Moral Emotions, Good Moral Panics, Social Regulation, and Online Public Shaming.” Language & Communication: –. 10.1016/j.langcom.2022.02.002
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langcom.2022.02.002 [Google Scholar]
  25. 2024a Pragmatics, (Im)Politeness, and Intergroup Communication: A Multilayered, Discursive Analysis of Cancel Culture. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 10.1017/9781009184373
     https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009184373 [Google Scholar]
  26. 2024b “Cancel Culture and Influencers: The Hilaria Baldwin Case.” InInfluencer Discourse: Affective Relations and Identities, edited byPilar Garcés-Conejos Blitvich and Alexandra Georgakopoulou, –. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/pbns.349.06bli
     https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.349.06bli [Google Scholar]
  27. Ge, Jing, and Ulrike Gretzel
    2018 “Emoji Rhetoric: A Social Media Influencer Perspective.” Journal of Marketing Management (): –. 10.1080/0267257X.2018.1483960
     https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2018.1483960 [Google Scholar]
  28. Ge, Jing, and Susan C. Herring
    2018 “Communicative Functions of Emoji Sequences on Sina Weibo.” First Monday (): –. 10.5210/fm.v23i11.9413
     https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v23i11.9413 [Google Scholar]
  29. Herring, Susan C.
    2017 “Emergent Forms of Computer-Mediated Communication and Their Global Implications.” Linguapax Review: –.
     [Google Scholar]
  30. Hutchby, Ian
    2014 “Communicative Affordances and Participation Frameworks in Mediated Interaction.” Journal of Pragmatics: –. 10.1016/j.pragma.2014.08.012
     https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2014.08.012 [Google Scholar]
  31. Jovanovic, Dejan, and Theo van Leeuwen
    2018 “Multimodal Dialogue on Social Media.” Social Semiotics (): –. 10.1080/10350330.2018.1504732
     https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330.2018.1504732 [Google Scholar]
  32. Kemp, Simon
    2024 “Digital 2024: Brazil.” DataReportal, January 2024 AccessedOctober 10, 2024. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-brazil
  33. Koester, Almut
    2021 “Building Small Specialised Corpora.” InThe Routledge Handbook of Corpus Linguistics, 2nd ed., edited byAnne O’Keeffe and Michael McCarthy, –. London: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  34. Li, Li, and Yuelong Yang
    2018 “Pragmatic Functions of Emoji in Internet-Based Communication: A Corpus-Based Study.” Asian-Pacific Journal of Second and Foreign Language Education (): –. 10.1186/s40862‑017‑0042‑y
     https://doi.org/10.1186/s40862-017-0042-y [Google Scholar]
  35. Logi, Lorenzo, and Michele Zappavigna
    2023 “A Social Semiotic Perspective on Emoji: How Emoji and Language Interact to Make Meaning in Digital Messages.” New Media & Society (): –. 10.1177/14614448211032965
     https://doi.org/10.1177/14614448211032965 [Google Scholar]
  36. Lu, Xuan, Wei Ai, Xuanzhe Liu, Qian Li, Ning Wang, Gang Huang, and Qiaozhu Mei
    2016 “Learning from the Ubiquitous Language: An Empirical Analysis of Emoji Usage of Smartphone Users.” InProceedings of the 2016 ACM International Joint Conference on Pervasive and Ubiquitous Computing, –. New York: Association for Computing Machinery. 10.1145/2971648.2971724
     https://doi.org/10.1145/2971648.2971724 [Google Scholar]
  37. McMahon, Marilyn M., and Elizabeth A. Kirley
    2019 “When Cute Becomes Criminal: Emoji, Threats and Online Grooming.” Minnesota Journal of Law, Science and Technology (): –. https://scholarship.law.umn.edu/mjlst/vol21/iss1/3.
     [Google Scholar]
  38. Matsuda, Risa
    2020 “Construction of Iconicity in Scenes of Kaomoji.” InEmoticons, Kaomoji, and Emoji: The Transformation of Communication in the Digital Age, edited byElena Giannoulis and Lukas R. A. Wilde, –. London: Routledge.
     [Google Scholar]
  39. Moran, Rachel E., Izzi Grasso, and Kolina Koltai
    2022 “Folk Theories of Avoiding Content Moderation: How Vaccine-Opposed Influencers Amplify Vaccine Opposition on Instagram.” Social Media + Society (). 10.1177/20563051221144252
     https://doi.org/10.1177/20563051221144252 [Google Scholar]
  40. Ng, Eve
    2020 “No Grand Pronouncements Here...: Reflections on Cancel Culture and Digital Media Participation.” Television & New Media (): –. 10.1177/1527476420918828.
     https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476420918828 [Google Scholar]
  41. 2022 Cancel Culture: A Critical Analysis. London: Palgrave Macmillan. 10.1007/978‑3‑030‑97374‑2
     https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-97374-2 [Google Scholar]
  42. Oliveira, Ana Larissa Adorno M. de O., Gustavo Ximenes Cunha, and Fernanda Teixeira Avelar
    2018 “Emojis como Estratégias de Reparo em Pedidos de Desculpas: Um Estudo sobre Conversas em Ambiente Digital.” Trabalhos em Linguística Aplicada (): –. 10.1590/010318138653341440311
     https://doi.org/10.1590/010318138653341440311 [Google Scholar]
  43. Rodrigues, Daniele Cristine, Claudio Luís Camargo Penteado, and Taís Silva Oliveira
    2022 “Vidas Negras Importam: Análise de Redes Sociais do Ativismo em Nuvem Sobre os Episódios #80Tiros e de George Floyd.” Mediações – Revista de Ciências Sociais (): –. 10.5433/2176‑6665.2022v27n2e45720
     https://doi.org/10.5433/2176-6665.2022v27n2e45720 [Google Scholar]
  44. Rühlemann, Christoph, and Karin Aijmer
    2015 “Corpus Pragmatics: Laying the Foundations.” InCorpus Pragmatics: A Handbook, edited byKarin Aijmer and Christoph Rühlemann, –. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
     [Google Scholar]
  45. Rühlemann, Christoph, and Brian Clancy
    2018 “Corpus Linguistics and Pragmatics.” InPragmatics and Its Interfaces, edited byCornelia Ilie and Neal R. Norrick, –. London: Routledge. 10.1075/pbns.294.11ruh
     https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.294.11ruh [Google Scholar]
  46. Sampietro, Agnese
    2021 “The Use of the ‘Face with Tears of Joy’ Emoji on WhatsApp: A Conversation-Analytical Approach.” Paper presented atEmoji 2021: 4th International Workshop on Emoji Understanding and Applications in Social Media (co-located with the 15th International AAAI Conference on Web and Social Media), Palo Alto, CA. 10.36190/2021.03
     https://doi.org/10.36190/2021.03 [Google Scholar]
  47. Saint-Louis, Hervé
    2021 “Understanding Cancel Culture: Normative and Unequal Sanctioning.” First Monday (). https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/10891/11211. 10.5210/fm.v26i7.10891
     https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v26i7.10891 [Google Scholar]
  48. Kilgarriff, Adam, Vit Baisa, Jan Bušta, Miloš Jakubíček, Vojtěch Kovář, Jan Michelfeit, Pavel Rychlý, and Vít Suchomel
    2014 “The Sketch Engine: Ten Years On.” Lexicography (): –. 10.1007/s40607‑014‑0009‑9
     https://doi.org/10.1007/s40607-014-0009-9 [Google Scholar]
  49. Statista
    Statista 2024 “Emoji Usage.” AccessedOctober 17, 2024. https://www.statista.com/topics/11194/emoji-usage/#topicOverview.
  50. Tang, Ying, and Khe Foon Hew
    2019 “Emoticon, Emoji, and Sticker Use in Computer-Mediated Communications: Understanding Its Communicative Function, Impact, User Behavior, and Motive.” International Journal of Communication: –.
     [Google Scholar]
  51. Thompson, Dominic, and Ruth Filik
    2016 “Sarcasm in Written Communication: Emoticons Are Efficient Markers of Intention.” Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (): –. 10.1111/jcc4.12156
     https://doi.org/10.1111/jcc4.12156 [Google Scholar]
  52. Unicode Consortium
    Unicode Consortium 2024 “Smileys & Emotion.” InEmoji List, v15.1. Mountain View, CA: Unicode Consortium. https://unicode.org/emoji/charts/full-emoji-list.html.
     [Google Scholar]
  53. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
    United States Holocaust Memorial Museum 2025 “Nazi Racism: An Overview.” Holocaust Encyclopedia. Last modifiedJanuary 10, 2025. https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/.
     [Google Scholar]
  54. van Dijke, Suzan
    2018 Influencing Message Perceptions with Emoji and Sarcasm: The Influence of Emoji and Sarcasm on People’s Perceptions of WhatsApp Messages. Master’s thesis, Business Communication and Information Sciences, Tilburg University.
     [Google Scholar]
  55. Völkel, Sarah Theres, Daniel Buschek, Jelena Pranjic, and Heinrich Hussmann
    2019 “Understanding Emoji Interpretation through User Personality and Message Context.” InProceedings of MobileHCI ’19. Taipei, Taiwan. 10.1145/3338286.3340114
     https://doi.org/10.1145/3338286.3340114 [Google Scholar]
  56. Wagner, Anne, Sarah Marusek, and Wei Yu
    2020 “Emojis and Law: Contextualized Flexibility of Meaning in Cyber Communication.” Social Semiotics (): –. 10.1080/10350330.2020.1731198
     https://doi.org/10.1080/10350330.2020.1731198 [Google Scholar]
  57. Weissman, Benjamin, and Darren Tanner
    2018 “A Strong Wink between Verbal and Emoji-Based Irony: How the Brain Processes Ironic Emojis during Language Comprehension.” PLoS ONE (). 10.1371/journal.pone.0201727
     https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0201727 [Google Scholar]
  58. Yus, Francisco
    2011 Cyberpragmatics: Internet-Mediated Communication in Context. Amsterdam: John Benjamins. 10.1075/pbns.213
     https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.213 [Google Scholar]
  59. 2021 Smartphone Communication: Interactions in the App Ecosystem. London: Routledge. 10.4324/9781003200574
     https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003200574 [Google Scholar]
  60. Zappavigna, Michele
    2012 Discourse of Social Media: How we Use Language to Create Affiliation on the Web. London: Continuum. 10.5040/9781472541642
     https://doi.org/10.5040/9781472541642 [Google Scholar]
/content/journals/10.1075/jlac.00149.mir
Loading
Emojis as tools of collective judgment
John Benjamins ; https://doi.org/10.1075/jlac.00149.mir
/content/journals/10.1075/jlac.00149.mir
/content/journals/10.1075/jlac.00149.mir
Loading

Data & Media loading...

  • Article Type: Research Article
Keywords: cancel culture ; pragmatics ; digital discourse ; emoji

Most Cited

This is a required field
Please enter a valid email address
Approval was successful
Invalid data
An Error Occurred
Approval was partially successful, following selected items could not be processed due to error