Emoticons' influence on advice taking

Although there is a lot of research on advice and its utilization, little research on advice has examined the effect of computer mediated communication (CMC) on advice outcomes. Emoticons, which are graphic representations of facial expressions, are unique to CMC and commonly used as a substitute for nonverbal cues that are missing from CMC. We explored the relationship between emoticons in advice messages and advice utilization. Because emoticons convey emotional information, the effects of emoticons on advice utilization may be higher when the receiver is less willing or able to analyze the message more systematically. Therefore, we examined two moderators that affect message processing: involvement and need for cognition. Two experiments tested our hypothesis. In Study 1, emoticons increased intention to utilize advice, but only under conditions of low involvement. Study 2 replicated the effects of Study 1 but also found that emoticons had a stronger effect when participants had a low need for cognition.