Emoji in political internet communication: the universal and the national component

Emoji reflect new trends in the development of communication media: increased emotionality, creolization of texts, the establishment of political benchmarks, the struggle for recognition from social groups, etc. The Internet space is becoming an important platform for social life, where active participants constantly exchange opinions on various issues. Speech is dominated by visual symbols, memes and irony. Emoji is an important marker for the development of a new kind of communication systems, which are faster and more fully reflect oral speech. Emoji easily acquire additional informational and semantic load and become part of political ideology (for example, the fight for the environment). The authors use double optics, contrasting local and universal elements. On the one hand, emoji aim to provide a cross-cultural context and simplify the process of establishing contact between people. This makes emoji so popular among young people, including politically active ones. However, in parallel, a request is being formed for local symbols that can reflect the identity of minorities, national groups, and even entire states. The article discusses the example of Finland, which decided to take control of its own representation in the emoji system. With regard to the topic under discussion, questions of legal regulation, the diversity of symbols, their inclusiveness, and others remain open.