Responsiveness in Text Messaging, 2017

This research investigated the role of emoji in the communication of perceived responsiveness—conveying understanding, validation, and care to another person—through text messages. Participants (n= 323 college students) read a text message conversation between two individuals where Person A (the discloser) discussed a negative event with Person B (the responder), who attempted to convey responsiveness to Person A’s situation. Participants were randomly assigned to review one of two versions of the conversation: Person B either used or did not use emoji in their responses. Participants rated the perceived responsiveness of Person B toward Person A in subsections of text exchanges. The sample consisted of 323 college students (72 males, 245 females, 6 not reported; Mean age = 20.77 years, SD = 5.40, Range = 18-56). The sample was fairly diverse: 107 White or Caucasian, 72 Asian or Pacific Islander, 42 Black or African American, 33 Hispanic or Latino, 23 Middle Eastern, 2 West Indian or Caribbean, and 33 Multiracial (11 not reported). The sample almost exclusively consisted of smartphone users (99%; 312 participants) and 72.8% (227 participants) of smartphone users reported having an Apple phone. Most of the sample used emoji with only 4.3% (14 participants) reporting that they do not use emoji. Brooklyn College IRB: 2016-0682