The effects of smileys on receivers’ emotions

Abstract

Purpose Nowadays, computer-mediated communication (CMC) is an inherent part of consumers’ daily interactions. That kind of communication, however, is associated with limited options to express emotions and, thus, impairs smooth interactions. Considering these shortcomings, existing research has paid attention to the use of smileys and examines their impacts on communication. Nevertheless, little is known about the effects of smileys on the receivers’ emotions as well as on the interaction between the communication partners. Against this background, the study aims to investigate the appropriateness of smileys in causing emotional contagion in CMC. That interpersonal mechanism fosters harmonic interactions and strengthens the relationship between interaction partners by sharing emotions. Design/methodology/approach Field data of 1,745 females were obtained through an online experiment applying two scenarios that only differ by the use of either a positive or a negative smiley. The appropriateness of both smileys to express positive or negative emotions was pretested in a study with 18 respondents. Findings The findings support the assumption that emotions expressed by smileys affect receivers’ emotions through the process of emotional contagion. Furthermore, the effects of the negative smiley on the emotions of the receivers are moderated by the receivers’ susceptibility to emotional contagion. Originality/value Findings contribute to current research on CMC by offering a deeper understanding of the impacts of smileys on interactions. In that way, the present study underlines the suitability of smileys to stimulate emotional contagion in a “cueless” environment.

Emoji Use in Computer-Mediated Communication

“…In support of the negativity bias, females tend to evaluate neutral and negative emojis more negatively compared to males [43]. A study with female participants further supports the higher emotional changes attributed to negative smileys [42].…”

“…Readers perceive a message supplemented with positive emoji as more positive and with more humor compared to a message with a negative emoji [41]. Still, positive smileys failed to enhance the level of perceived joy in a sample of female particiapnts [42]. In support of the negativity bias, females tend to evaluate neutral and negative emojis more negatively compared to males [43].…”

Accommodated Emoji Usage: Influence of Hierarchy on the Adaption of Pictogram Usage in Instant Messaging

“…Those emotions, again, have a positive effect on the answer and can support relationship building as well as friendship strengthening (Elder 2018). Perceiving facial expressions leads to interpersonal social mechanisms like emotional contagion and supports relationship building (Lohmann et al 2017). However, emoji can also have a dark side because they show more the expressions and emotions individuals want their interlocutors to perceive than the emotions they really feel (Tandyonomanu and Tsuroyya 2018).…”

Cantidad adecuada de emojis y caracteres para generar eWOM en Facebook

“…Por ejemplo, las personas que reciben emojis positivos se sienten considerablemente más contentas que las que no reciben ninguno. Asimismo, quienes reciben emojis negativos se sienten muy mal, con sensaciones de angustia e intranquilidad (Lohmann, Pyka & Zanger, 2017). Das et al (2019) sostienen que la presencia de emojis, en anuncios publicitarios, podría propiciar la intención de compra.…”

“…Si bien la literatura aún no aclara por qué los emojis pueden afectar las actitudes de los consumidores (Das et al, 2019), algunos autores sugieren que esto puede explicarse por la Teoría del Contagio Emocional, que indica que las personas simplemente "captan" la emoción representada por el emoji, de modo que sus emociones coinciden con las del símbolo (Lohmann et al, 2017). Otros investigadores han encontrado que los emojis son una forma eficiente de compensar las señales no verbales que faltan en la comunicación escrita, lo que podría, del mismo modo, mejorar la eficiencia de los mensajes (Thompson & Filik, 2016).…”