Stakeholder Perceptions of Emoji Appropriateness in Organizational Social Media Messages

Researchers examined how stakeholders perceived organizations using emojis in social media messaging. Using a quasi-experimental between-subjects design, perceived appropriateness and effectiveness were tested for three categories of emojis: illustrative (an object like french fries), emotive (such as smiling face), and amplification (such as starburst). Respondents (N = 240) were randomly assigned hypothetical social media posts with either no emojis, one emoji from a specific category, or a three-emoji series of each of the types. Generally, use of emojis was favorable as compared to no emoji use. The study garnered partial support for the type of emoji affecting perceptions of message: attention-getting, engagement, emotion, and competence. For all four variables, messages without an emoji were rated the lowest when averaged across scenarios. Results indicate that neither age, nor gender, nor self-reported emoji use showed a significant effect on perceptions. Additionally, participants reported that a variety of contextual factors influence perceptions of organizational emoji use. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.