위챗 상호작용에서 페이스팜(捂脸) 이모지 사용과 사회·문화적 동기

초록

This study investigates the interactional functions and socio-cultural motivations of the ‘Facepalm(捂脸)’ emoji in WeChat discourse. Employing Conversation Analysis (CA), it examines 76 authentic chat logs from 95 Chinese users in their 20s. The findings reveal that the Facepalm emoji is a crucial interactional resource for managing dispreferred organizations and structural gaps. Predominantly positioned at turn-ends, it functions as a visual punctuation mark that projects turn-transition and acts as an affective buffer to modulate the action intensity of face-threatening acts, such as requests or refusals. By combining multi-modal elements—covering the face, crying, and laughing—it recontextualizes the speaker’s displayed vulnerabilities into self-deprecating humor. This strategy manages the speaker’s positive face while alleviating the interactional accountability imposed on the recipient, thereby maintaining interactional equilibrium. Furthermore, the prevalence of this emoji reflects a socio-cultural shift where traditional Confucian norms of Mianzi(face) intersect with the modern ‘Sang(丧)’ culture. It fills the pragmatic void left by the semantic pejoration of the conventional ‘Smile’ emoji, transforming feelings of helplessness into a shared digital discourse. In conclusion, the Facepalm emoji is a sophisticated interactional strategy for coordinating complex affective orientations in contemporary Chinese electronic discourse.

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