earticle

영어

This study aims to explore how the use of emoticons differs between English native speakers and Koreans in terms of social distance and relationships in mobile communication. The research was conducted by surveys with participants' ages ranging from their 20s to over 60 from various professions. A total of 181 responses were collected. The results show that Koreans use emoticons more often than English speakers, and for English speakers, the main reason for using emoticons is to show emotions whereas for Korean, it is to make messages friendly. The survey results show that both groups use emoticons with close relationships such as family, friends, and close colleagues. Both groups responded that they would use emoticons most when sending thanking messages. However, Koreans do not tend to use emoticons much with family when thanking, compared to English-speaking professionals. In cases of relationships that provoke the most discomfort when receiving message with emoticons, English professionals responded "colleagues" whereas the Korean respondents did not think this is the case. Regarding the appropriate use of emoticons, a number of Korean professionals think emoticons should be used when showing emotions that cannot be delivered by text. However, many English professionals stated that the use of emoticons should be in informal texting and it is not appropriate in a professional relationship. (Daejeon University)