How emojis and relationships shape sarcasm perception in computer-mediated communication

Previous studies have reported that the 'Wink' emoji is considered an effective indicator of sarcasm in computer-mediated communication. However, few studies have compared the effects of different emojis on perceptions of sarcasm and available information about how emojis and relationships jointly affect perceptions of sarcasm. Thus, this study investigates how emojis and sender-receiver relationships influence the perception of sarcasm in ambiguous texts, whether positive or negative. A total of 127 Chinese participants rated sarcasm, unfriendliness, and humour across 36 communication scenarios (six emojis x three relationships x two sentence valences). The three-way analysis of variance results indicated that the use of the 'Unamused' emoji significantly affects the sarcasm perception and emotional responses to ambiguous text replies, where it is an effective indicator of sarcastic criticism. The use of the 'Wink' emoji affects sarcasm perceptions and emotional responses to ambiguous messages. In Eastern cultures, using a 'Wink' emoji in positive ambiguous replies tends to reduce the sarcastic tone, which contrasts with the findings from Western contexts. The 'Tears of joy' , 'Smirk' , and 'Smiling' emojis provide only limited enhancement, resulting in ambiguous interpretations. In addition, the effects of relationship and sentence valence were significant for emotional perception. These findings may support clearer communication and more harmonious relationships.