Emojis and assertive environmental messages in social media campaigns
ISSN: 1066-2243
Article publication date: 9 September 2021
Issue publication date: 9 May 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The authors aim to examine how emojis interact with assertiveness in social media posts to encourage social media engagement and cooperation in environmental campaigns.
Design/methodology/approach
Two experiments were used to test three hypotheses.
Findings
Study 1 shows that when assertive Twitter messages include the smiley-face emoji, study participants indicate stronger social media engagement and behavioral intentions to recycle used jeans. In Study 2, participants indicate stronger social media engagement and behavioral intentions to sign a petition for reducing plastic pollution when (non) assertive Facebook messages (do not) include emojis.
Originality/value
The current research advances our understanding about how emojis interact with assertive and nonassertive message tonality in environmental social media campaigns. This research also provides new insights showing that positive emotion is the psychological mechanism underlying matching effects of emoji and message assertiveness.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This paper forms part of a special section “Digital Transformation and Consumer Experience”, guest edited by Dong-Mo Koo, Jungkeun Kim and Taewan Kim.
This paper is submitted for reviews and publishment in Internet Research Special Edition Issue “Digital Transformation and Consumer Experience”, Sponsored by ICAMA 2020 Seoul hosted by Korean Marketing Association.
Funding: This work was supported by the University of Kentucky's Research and Creative Activities Program.
Citation
Baek, T.H., Kim, S., Yoon, S., Choi, Y.K., Choi, D. and Bang, H. (2022), "Emojis and assertive environmental messages in social media campaigns", Internet Research, Vol. 32 No. 3, pp. 988-1002. https://doi.org/10.1108/INTR-11-2020-0638
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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