Exploring Potential Factors in Sticker Use Among Japanese Young Adults

Abstract

In text-based communication, people can now use not only emoticons and emoji, but also graphical symbols called stickers. This study focused on the use of stickers in text-based communication. A questionnaire asking subjects to individually rate the perceived usefulness of 25 features of stickers was prepared and used in a survey targeting 211 Japanese college students. The authors then explored potential factors in the roles of stickers. The study revealed three potential roles of stickers: “easy transmission of subtle nuances and nonverbal cues,” “abundant and versatile expressions that can be substituted for text messages,” and “changing the topic, flow, or rationale of the interaction.” The authors examined the effects of gender and text messaging dependency on these roles. Results showed significant effects of dependency in all roles, but effects of gender were seen in only “abundant and versatile expressions that can be substituted for text messages.”

(Mis)communication through stickers in online group discussions: A multiple-case study

“…This research has identified various motives for using stickers, including: (a) to support self-expression (e.g. Lee et al, 2016), especially as 'subtle nuances and nonverbal cues' (Kato et al, 2018); (b) to convey a specific meaning in place of text (e.g. Konrad et al, 2020); (c) to manage social status or to construct a desired image (e.g.…”