Kaskus emoticons have been used widely in cyber, whether
in Kaskus forum or blogs and other Instant Messengers (IMs). The use
of emoticon in the forum is believed to be the latest way in
communication among members. The use of emoticons is necessary to
overcome the constraints of online communication, the need of being
expressive and time limited. Kaskus emoticons are culturally unique
because they are created by Indonesian online users without resorting to
western style emoticons. Even though emotion is something universal,
the way of how certain community represents it through emoticons is
interesting to note. This study is aimed at exploring the significance of
Kaskus emoticons in the Lounge forum at Kaskus, the Largest
Indonesian Community. The analysis is rooted on semiotics, particularly
Roland Barthes? orders of signification involving five emoticons
appearing in the Lounge forum at the site. The findings show that the
emoticons have meaning and functions as a way to communicate,
particularly in the online forum. It serves as a means of (visual)
communication between users to emphasize the statement in online
communication, and to show mood of one?s state of feeling so that
others can easily acquaint his thoughts. More to the point, emoticons are
treated as alteration for some words and their meanings are associated
with linked circumstances.