Abstract
Before 1999, the Dulong community was the most isolated, inaccessible and underdeveloped ethnic minority in China. It was also the only minority region in China that was inaccessible by road, so the Dulong River region was historically isolated for a long time (Cheng et al., 2022a, 2022b). Various culturally specific elements feature the Dulong community, yet most face the risk of Sinicization and are on the verge of extinction today. Psychologist Mehrabian (1968) estimates that 93% of conversation’s influence is non-verbal. Accordingly, emoji as a form of non-verbal online communication has been dramatically popular worldwide. This study figures out the reason why creating a new set of emoji for the Dulong community is of great significance based on semi-structured interviews. Meanwhile this is the first study on the emoji designed for Dulong culture that contains culturally specific elements such as Face Tattoo Woman, cow-kill ritual, etc., to help preserve Dulong culture. The emoji’s pictorial properties can help the public pick up more Dulong cultural knowledge effortlessly, whether the general public is out-group or in-group. Its feature of extraordinary dissemination, like a speedy vehicle, also enables the Dulong culture to go viral, whether internally or globally.
Presenters
Yun JiPhD Student, Academy of Creative Arts and Technologies, University of Malaysia Sabah, Sabah, Malaysia
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
KEYWORDS
Emoji Design Non-verbal communication Culture Dulong community
