Gender differences and presence of emojis on personality person perception

This project aimed to investigate if emojis (paralinguistic cues) enhance personality person perceptions of online chat partners and if differences exist in ratings of personality between gender, following a conversation on Facebook Messenger. Continuing on from previous research and filling a gap in the literature, this study furthers the investigation with modern materials and context. Participants (N= 74) interacted with a chat partner using chatbot technology, receiving the same responses. However, depending on the condition (emoji/ no emoji), half of the participants received emojis in messages, whereas the other half did not. The Ten-Item Personality Inventory (TIPI) was used to rate the personality of the chat partner. Five two-way between groups analysis of variance were conducted, one for each subscale of the TIPI (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability and Openness to Experiences). It was found that emojis did not affect personality ratings. However, findings suggested that females rate their chat partners higher on certain personality traits. No significant interaction was found between gender and condition. Theoretical and practical implications, strengths, and limitations were discussed as well as suggestions for future research.