A MULTIMODAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS OF SELECTED GRAPHICONS IN WHATSAPP GROUP CHATS

Abstract

This work studied the language of stickers as non-verbal cues in
communication. It was geared towards investigating how digital images
help to solve visual communication problems in CMC, examine their
linguistic representations, and determine how meaning is encoded and
decoded in their use by WhatsApp social media users. In this
investigation, the researcher adopted a multimodal and social semiotic
approach in analysing six (6) stickers from WhatsApp group chats. This
study used the qualitative approach which allows the interpretation of
data according to use in context. The paper shows that stickers
communicate on their own, though visual elements that are used to
express ideas and emotions in computer-mediated communication,
especially in WhatsApp as they facilitate interaction among users and
enhance communication. Again, this study exposes that stickers are
similar to Text not just supplementing textual information, which users
must comprehend.