Cilj ovog rada jest analiza fenomena i prakse emotikona (i emojija) koji su prisutni na društvenim mrežama poput Facebooka, Twittera i Instagrama. Ovdje se želi prikazati određena kritika takve prakse u kojoj se kompleksnost i naturalnost ljudskih emocija uniformira, racionalizira i kodificira u slikovne/znakovne simbole emotikona/emojija. U radu se želi ispitati ide li stupnjeviti razvoj socijalnog svijeta prema jednom obliku kibernetskog društva te postaje li ontološko uporište svijeta danas virtualna mreža binarnih kodova (0 i 1), a društvo umreženo-racionalizirani kibernetički organizam. Želi se doći do zaključka da društvenom interakcijom vlada računalno-racionalni format koji dovodi do desenzibilizirane razmjene znakova među socijalnim akterima. Pretvarajući emociju u emotikon („simbol bez uporišta“), sve više gubimo sebe kao senzitivno ljudsko biće, a tendiramo ka kibernetskom obličju egzistencije. U tom smislu, ključno pitanje na koje se pokušava dati odgovor jest koje su posljedice takve prakse te degradira li ona našu ljudskost?The aim of this thesis is the analysis of the emoticon (and emoji) phenomenon and practice present on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. It is here that a certain critique is to be shown of such practice where complexity and naturality of human emotions is uniformed, rationalised, and codified into emoticon/emoji pictorial/sign symbols. Furthermore, here it is to be examined if the gradual development of social world goes toward one form of cybernetic society, and whether the ontological stronghold of the world nowadays become a virtual network of binary codes (0 and 1), while the society turns into networked-rationalised cyborg. This thesis wants to conclude that social interaction is ruled by a computer-rationalized format which leads to desensitised interchange of signs between social actors. By converting the emotion into emoticon (“symbol without reference”), we lose ourselves more and more as sensitive human beings, and instead have a tendency toward cyber-looking existence. In that sense, the key question that is trying to be answered here is – what are the consequences of such practice and does it degrade the humanity in ourselves
