I vote to not kill the researcher 😣/ 😂 : An experimental study of congruent and incongruent emojis in spontaneous text-based conversation

• Event: Seminar
• Presented by: Amy Han Qiu from the University of Gothenburg
• Date: 11 March 2026
• Time: 13:15-15:00
• Venue: Gothenburg University, Humanisten and online
• Address: Renströmsgatan 6, 412 55 Göteborg
• Room: J335
• Zoom link: https://gu-se.zoom.us/j/67063108947?pwd=kPpjvMLCekxNTBVzq4uYP5gFZ6Y6vd.1
• Slides:

Abstract

Emotive symbols such as emojis and emoticons play a crucial role in text-based dialogues, allowing interlocutors to express affective, pragmatic, and interpersonal nuances that are difficult to convey through text alone. While prior research has primarily examined the perceived effects of emotive symbols in non-interactive settings, their role in spontaneous, interactive conversations remains underexplored. This study investigates how exposure to emotive symbols expressing contrasting affective stances influences the unfolding of text-based chats. We conducted psycholinguistic experiments with 48 participants, who engaged in 16 triadic chats to make decisions about an ethical dilemma. Emojis with either positive or negative emotional valence were systematically inserted into participants’ messages, creating either congruent or incongruent combinations with the semantic content of the message that can be interpreted as signalling opposite affective or pragmatic stances, such as empathy or irony. In this talk, I will present our findings about emoji use and response patterns and plans for future papers.