The Functions Of Emoticons As Markers Of Bullying In Social Media Comments

Cyberbullying on social media has become increasingly complex alongside the evolution of digital modes of expression, including the use of emoticons as markers of a speaker's stance. This study aims to analyze the functions of emoticons as indicators of bullying in users' comments and to explain how emoticons operate pragmatically and semiotically within online bullying practices. Employing a descriptive qualitative method, the research collected data through the documentation of screenshots of comments that contained signs of bullying. Data were analyzed using a multimodal approach by integrating Peirce's semiotic framework (icon–index–symbol) to interpret the meanings, intentions, and nonverbal communicative force conveyed through emoticons. The findings show that emoticons function as nonverbal signals that reinforce, obscure, or replace verbal insults in comments; that the selection of emoticons is strongly influenced by the utterance context and the relational dynamics between commenter and target; and that particular emoticon variations produce different psychological effects on victims, ranging from subtle humiliation to overt intimidation. These results affirm that emoticons are not merely light or playful expressions but significant pragmatic elements in the construction of digital bullying.