Research on the Application of Educational Functions of Emoticon Packs in Ideological and Political Education in Universities

Ideological and political education in universities must evolve with the times and adapt to changing circumstances by enhancing the application of new technologies and methods to better fulfill the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education. In the information age, the frequency of meme usage continues to rise, and their user base keeps expanding, drawing increasing attention to their educational functions in ideological and political education. Based on the three key characteristics of meme-expressing ideas through images, conveying emotions via visuals, and encapsulating meaning in images, this study highlights the unique significance of applying emojis in university ideological and political education. By exploring feasible pathways for the effective integration of ideological and political education with emojis from perspectives such as value guidance, supervision and management, talent cultivation, and content optimization, it contributes to building a new collaborative education framework, promoting the high-quality development of ideological and political education under new circumstances, and cultivating a new generation capable of shouldering the great responsibility of national rejuvenation, all of which hold significant practical implications.