Benefits Of Emoticons In Business Communication

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It is a known fact that most people in the world own or have access to a digital device that has instant messaging capabilities. When utilizing instant messaging, people use graphic representations of emotions called emoticons. In other words, emoticons are a construction of the words “emotion” and “icon” that represent facial expressions using standard keyboard characters (Skovholt, 2014). With the prevalent use of instant messaging, business communications have shifted with the times where it is now common to see this medium of communication used in an informal way. In this paper, I am going to look at the benefits of using emoticons in business communications within collectivist and individualistic cultures. We need to understand the benefits …show more content…
Twitter is a popular social media outlet that enables us to connect with people we may not otherwise meet in real life. Celebrities, news outlets, and businesses rely on Twitter and other social media to engage with the public. It is a unique way to communicate because of the 140-character limit on messages that forces users to find different ways of expressing themselves (Tchokny, 2014). Emoticons only use up one space per image when used in text messaging and social media, which goes to show that pictures are worth a thousand words. This modified way of communicating with people shows the users’ feelings and emotions that are not apparent with just text alone. When reviewing the affordances of some social media outlets, people must learn how to adapt with the limitations of characters in mind to get their message across effectively. Ultimately, the use of emoticons on social media is a good indicator of social status. Individuals who often use emoticons tend to be more popular or influential (Tchokny, 2014). Learning how to be more influential online is a great strategy for individuals as well businesses. Businesses communicating through social media may find that using emoticons in their communication can be effective in boosting their overall business status. Powerful online users tend to use emoticons, especially ones that are associated with positivity. These feelings of positivity transfer over from the communicator to the receiver of the

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