MYTHOLOGY IN SEXTING EMOJI: REVEALING CHANGES IN MEANING

Abstract

The development of digital-based communication and the widespread use of social media allows the emergence of various variants of communication modes. The use of emojis to express oneself stemmed from the past when people still used pictures or pictographs to communicate through writing to express themselves. However, in modern times, with the advance of the internet and technology, people are increasingly using emojis to amplify messages conveyed to others. In using social media platforms or messaging applications such as WhatsApp and Instagram, people often use emojis to express themselves, including sexuality. The emojis, commonly known as sexting (emojis), are used implicitly to convey meaning because, in social construction, matters related to sexuality tend to be taboo and its existence allows the emergence of various interpretations. This study aims to reconstruct the development of the meaning of sexting emoji from a semiotic perspective. This study is directed to interpret the change in meaning by focusing on the reconstruction of meaning across texts in intertextual relations and the personal interpretation of the informants as a basis for argumentation. This qualitative research uses visual sexting emoji as primary data, which is further interpreted personally by non-native English informants in the interview process and elaborated in an intertextual relation with other sources. This study shows that there is a mythology in the process of interpreting emojis. Connotative meaning allows various kinds of interpretation for each recipient of the message. On the other hand, the development of meaning also impacts the emergence of other linguistic expressions associated with sex and sexual activity.