Why Emoji Science is important

One of my primary streams of research is on emoji processing. I was humbled to have been named the "Emoji Queen" recently by the lovely Carolyn Freeman!

Whilst my main motivation for pursuing this research is to build good quality research which draws in perspectives and expertise from cognitive science, there are some good reasons why this research has applied value too. 

Some reasons I believe that "Emoji Science" is important are:

✅ It helps us know whether they are appropriate to use within sentiment or user ratings which might often be used in commercial or other applied contexts

✅ It helps us understand individual differences in how we process and/or interpret emoji to better recognise where misinterpretation can occur, and therefore how we can do better within inclusive communication

✅ It helps us understand how emoji relates to identity expressions which can be significant opportunity for identity disclosure and community integration, especially for marginalised individuals and communities

✅ It can help us understand whether we actually process them emotionally, which can help inform whether they can be helpful within marketing and commercial contexts

I'm really lucky to work with some wonderful people, who are dispersed all over the world, on this programme of research, including student interns and dissertation students who contribute many exciting projects to this research stream.

You can find out more about Team Emoji and our work here