Podcast Summary

Podcast: New Books Network
Host: Dr. Miranda Melcher
Guest: Dr. Jieun Kiaer, Professor of Korean Linguistics, University of Oxford
Book: Emoji Speak: Communication and Behaviours on Social Media (Bloomsbury, 2023)
Date: March 2, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dr. Miranda Melcher interviews Dr. Jieun Kiaer about her latest book, Emoji Speak: Communication and Behaviours on Social Media. The conversation explores the development, use, and far-reaching impact of emojis across cultures, generations, and platforms. Dr. Kiaer shares insights into how emojis are created, how they affect communication (both positively and negatively), and what their widespread use means for language, culture, law, and the future of human interaction—both online and offline.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origins and Motivation for the Book

• Dr. Kiaer’s curiosity about emojis began with watching her then-infant daughter communicate using emojis before she could write words (01:30):
  • “My younger one... as a baby she learned how to use emoji and she was able to communicate with her auntie in Korea well even if she didn’t know how to write any word. So I thought it was really fascinating... That was the motivational writings of this book.” (Dr. Ji Eun Kheir, 01:30)

2. Challenges: Copyright and Publishing Emojis in Print

• Translating emojis from digital to physical print presented unforeseen copyright hurdles (03:20):
  • The process involved negotiating with major tech firms and IP lawyers, with surprising resistance:
    • “I thought they would be happy to share because... it’s in a fairly academic use. But then I received often the answer no, which surprised me so much... The way we use information... in a digital world is very different in the physical world.” (Dr. Ji Eun Kheir, 04:40)
  • Many IP lawyers were also uncertain about how to handle emoji licensing in print (07:19).

3. Defining “Emoji” and “Emojispeak”

• The term “emoji” is used broadly as an overarching term that can include emoticons, memes, and other visual-based language forms (07:53).
  • Different cultures use terms like emoji and emoticon differently. Definitions and boundaries are fluid and culturally specific.
• “Emojispeak” is coined as a term for multimodal, image-based communication that transcends traditional letter-based verbal communication:
  • “Emojispeak... is kind of more like the speak, the communication that is liberated from more letter-based communication. What human communication—more authentic, I think—is gesture, more like visual communication.” (Dr. Ji Eun Kheir, 10:15)

4. How Are New Emojis Created?

• Early emojis: Developed and distributed by tech giants (Apple, Google, etc.), tightly linked to smartphones and social media platforms (11:41).
• The evolution toward user-generated emojis, driven by expressive desires, technological capability, and cultural needs (13:00):
  • “The more we used to these emojis, we realize that’s not enough or we want something more new, want to express our feelings better. And this kind of desire... leads us to make our own emojis.” (Dr. Ji Eun Kheir, 12:30)

5. Unicode Consortium and Representation

• Unicode acts as a global “registry” for emojis, but representation is always fraught and can never be fully objective (14:49):
  • “No matter how they try hard, it’s very difficult to represent... the culture... it could also bring some sort of injustice... It’s important that we have more diverse voices that can bring our diverse needs and cultural representation.” (15:50)

6. Preset Emojis: Cognitive and Social Impact

• The normalization of preset emoji lists affects both children and adults’ communication patterns and expectations (18:18):
  • There is increased pressure to use emojis. “If you got some text message and someone... you just say ‘okay’ first off, the other person... would have been very worried. ...So we... kind of have to use... this preset.” (Dr. Ji Eun Kheir, 18:40)
• Emoji dependence may limit expressive abilities and create new anxieties in digital communication, particularly among young people.

7. The Complexity of Emoji Usage Choices

• Emoji communication is highly context-dependent and nuanced (21:32):
  • Users select emojis differently based on relationship (family, friends, colleagues), social hierarchy, and cultural expectations.
  • Example: In Asian contexts, social hierarchy and age heavily influence emoji choice and group dynamics (22:20).
    • “In Asia, even in emojispeak, you have to be really careful... their behavior totally changed whether they had a teacher in the group chat or not.” (Dr. Ji Eun Kheir, 23:15)
  • Even among Western and non-Asian users, subtleties like heart color or use between genders can lead to different meanings and potential misunderstandings.

8. Intergenerational Communication

• Emojis and memes can bridge the generational divide, but responses to them are not predictable (26:39):
  • Some older users find emojis delightful and accessible, while others view them as inappropriate or disrespectful.
    • “I interviewed my mom... she found it very kind of disturbing to receive emoji... How dare this person send her emoji where she could have just phoned her.” (Dr. Ji Eun Kheir, 27:10)
  • "But... emoji... actually makes [communication] more accessible. So I think it's positive for intergenerational communication." (28:40)

9. Cross-Cultural Ambiguity and Misinterpretations

• The same emoji can mean vastly different things across cultures and situations—even the simple smiley face (29:56):
  • Among younger generations, a smiley can signal sarcasm within peer groups but remain simple and positive in family chats.
    • “If they use it with me, that means probably non-sarcastic... but if they used it within the group sending a smiley to each other, that means as a sarcastic.” (Dr. Ji Eun Kheir, 31:01)

10. Legal Implications of Emoji Use

• Emojis have begun to appear as evidence in legal cases, creating new challenges for interpretation and intent (32:38):
  • “It’s very difficult to interpret this emoji or to think about the weight of this emoji... You can always defend it... ‘it was just emoji. I didn’t mean it.’... But in a few cases... it had real legal implication.” (Dr. Ji Eun Kheir, 33:30)
• Lack of clear legal standards: An urgent area for development as emoji-based communication grows.

11. Comparison to Orwell’s “Newspeak” and the Future of Language

• “Emojispeak” is compared to Orwell’s Newspeak—not as dystopian control, but as a transformative, abstract, and simplified language form now competing with traditional letter-based language (36:23).
  • “It breaks our tradition of speak or communication before, very much letter-based... but it kind of opens another multimodal speak and it breaks the boundaries too. But then we are entering into the unknown.” (Dr. Ji Eun Kheir, 37:35)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the struggle of copyright in the print world:
  “In our digital lives we are so used to use this sort of emoji or use other people’s image or text... but in the physical world... copyright law, not necessarily translated into digital words and vice versa.” (04:53)

• On emoji as both noun and verb, and the term “emojispeak”:
  “Emojispeak... the communication that is liberated from more letter-based communication.” (10:15)

• On accidental creation and spread of emojis:
  “The way how emojis [are] born... you can plan it, but very, very often... is made very much accidentally.” (13:40)

• On young people and emoji fluency:
  “More and more people actually speak emoji.” (01:46)

• On context-driven meaning:
  “Same image, same emoji, same people. But the way how they interpret and use the meanings really differ based on who they use, which context, which means that register of variation is much huge.” (31:08)

• On legal implications and the need for new frameworks:
  “We really need to find out the best way to interpret... these emojis... Whether does it have its same impact as... our words or not, or if not, why and so on.” (34:21)

Important Timestamps

• Motivation & Origin Story: 01:30
• Copyright & Print Challenges: 03:20 – 07:19
• Defining Emoji & Emojispeak: 07:53 – 11:15
• How New Emojis Are Created: 11:41 – 13:40
• Unicode, Diversity, and Cultural Representation: 14:49 – 17:51
• Preset Lists and Expressive Downsides: 18:18 – 20:43
• Conscious/Unconscious Factors in Emoji Choice: 21:32 – 25:34
• Hierarchy, Age, Generational Communication: 26:05 – 29:09
• Cross-Cultural Meanings & Sarcasm vs. Sincerity: 29:56 – 32:38
• Legal Interpretation of Emojis: 32:38 – 35:50
• Orwell’s Newspeak & The Future of Communication: 36:23 – 38:10
• Future Work: Conversing in the Metaverse: 38:41 – 40:13

Closing Thoughts

Dr. Kiaer’s research underscores emojis’ power and complexity as a new language form reshaping global digital interaction. Their meanings are highly context- and culture-dependent, and with expanding roles in legal and social domains, there is a pressing need for more nuanced understanding and regulation. The episode closes with Dr. Kiaer announcing her forthcoming book on communication in the Metaverse, showing the field’s accelerating evolution.