People subconsciously judge others based on emoji use

The argument

People's emoji use is frequently used to make assumptions about the user's personality and mood. This has real-world implications as it affects choice over who we interact with and how we do so. The judgement happens before anyone has decided to make one: a small graphic at the end of a message is read as a sign of what the sender is like, and the impression formed shapes the reply, the tone of it, and whether the exchange continues at all. Issues of accuracy are magnified in studies that show how other factors, such as gender, affect the assumptions being made. If the same signal is read differently depending on who sent it, then what is being interpreted is not the emoji but the sender, with the emoji serving as the occasion. For example, a 2019 study by researchers at Southwestern University looked at how the gender of the user affects the conclusions drawn about them. They found that when males use more 'friendly' or 'loving' emojis, they are seen more positively than females sending identical messages. The comparison is what gives the finding its force: the messages were identical, so the difference in how they were received came entirely from what the recipient assumed about the person sending them. Consequently, there is an inherent bias in the way that emojis are used to draw conclusions about others. These false judgements impact the way people are perceived and therefore, the relationships they have. A form of expression that most people treat as trivial turns out to be carrying assessments of character into everyday communication, which is why emojis have transformed human relationships.

Context

Increasingly, research shows that people make assumptions about others based on their emoji use. In turn, this affects the way they interact and behave towards each other.

Premises

Counter-arguments

Several studies have shown that assumptions people make about others based on their emoji use are overwhelmingly accurate. Therefore, rather than fundamentally changing human relationships, emojis simply clarify personality 'types' for their audiences. For example, a 2016 study by researchers at the University of Lancaster found that psychological factors largely determine emoji selection. They also found that there are clear patterns within this. For example, social media users who use 'happy' emojis are more likely to be associated with openness and agreeableness. Importantly, the judgement accuracy of their assumptions was largely correct.

Rejecting the premises

[Rejecting P3] Human relationships are very complex. Emoji use is hardly the only factor that influences perception of others.