Thesis: Emoticons as Social Information - The Effect of Emoticons on Interpersonal Perception in Computer-Mediated Business Communication (original) (raw)

Abstract

Emoticon use in computer-mediated business communication is not as customary as emotional expression in face-to-face interactions, yet it may affect interpersonal perception in almost similar ways as emotions affect interpersonal perception in face-to-face interactions through 'Social-Information-Processing' (Walther, 1992(Walther, , 1994 and by using 'Emotions-as-Social-Information' (Van Kleef, 2010). Therefore, the effect of emoticons on interpersonal perceptions (of power, competence, warmth, status, and morality) in computer-mediated business communication with potential employers differing in professional status was investigated. Both emoticon use and professional status were expected to affect interpersonal perception in a sense that higher emoticon use and lower professional status should negatively influence interpersonal perception. These expectations were partially confirmed since there were effects on power, competence, status, and morality, but not on warmth. Yet, extending and applying Social-Information-Processing theory and Emotions-as-Social-Information model to computer-mediated communication, it can be concluded that emoticons have an effect on interpersonal perception and are used as social information in order to form an impression about someone through computer-mediated communication.

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