Graphicon evolution on Bilibili: a historically informed socio-technical approach

Introduction. Digital technologies have transformed the way we communicate, yet research on digital communication has often focused on either social or technical factors in isolation and has generally lacked a historical perspective. Method. This study integrates a historical perspective with a socio-technical approach to examine the trends and factors driving the evolution of graphicons (kaomojis, emojis, and stickers) on the Chinese social media platform Bilibili. Analysis. The analysis involves two parts: first, identifying graphicon evolution patterns from a 14-year corpus and irregularities in relation to a predicted rise-and- fall model, and then using digital archaeology to reconstruct the history and usage of graphicons on Bilibili, classifying them into social or technical categories. Results. Findings show that only kaomoji usage follows a clear rise-and-fall trend, while trends for emoji and sticker use are less clear. The evolution of graphicons is influenced by both social factors, like user discourse behaviour and graphic arts, and technical factors, such as design and input interfaces. Conclusion. The historically informed socio-technical approach offers a feasible framework for future studies of digital phenomena. Its quantitative aspect allows the identification of longitudinal patterns and irregularities in the data, while its qualitative aspect enables greater depth through considerations of the events underlying the data.