A Pragmatic Analysis of Digital Media Stickers, Emojis and Gifs Towards Vocabulary Development

Abstract

Communication is a birthright of all societies, regardless of geographical location. As the globe becomes a global village where a common language is utilised for communication via social media images, there is a need to investigate how social media images can be used to improve vocabulary for efficient communication. To achieve this objective, this paper examines several digital media images purposively selected from WhatsApp, Twitter, and Instagram using Grice's (1975) theory of cooperative principles in conjunction with a qualitative research design. The six digital media images employed in the study include stickers, emojis, and gifs. The study critically investigates these images using insights from cooperative principles and qualitative design to identify and explain how they have been used for effective communication when there is no appropriate word to explain and interpret them. According to the study’s findings, stickers, emojis and gifs are tools that can be utilised to develop vocabulary for effective communication. The paper recommends that English instructors incorporate digital media images into their lesson plans when teaching new vocabulary. Furthermore, more glossaries on stickers, emojis, and gifs with emotions and food types from around the world, as well as living and non-living things with text attached to them for expressing their names and meaning, should be made available in order to facilitate the teaching and learning of new words thereby improving effective communication.