Abstract:
Depression has been linked with negative interpretations of stimuli and information. When
communicating, those with depression have produced negative affect in peers which results in
peers rejecting those with depression. Self-esteem is an individual’s feelings of self-worth based
on self-evaluations that come from acceptance or rejections from peers. The role of depression
and self-esteem in digital communication, specifically the use and interpretation of emoji, is
under-researched. In this study, I examined effects of the individual differences of depression
and self-esteem on emoji perception. Specially, I examined if depression and/or low self-esteem
caused a more negative perception of emoji. The results of the study were contradictory. Those
with lower self-esteem perceived negative emoji as both more negative and more positive than
those with higher scores. Those with higher depression scores perceived negative emoji more
negatively but perceived neutral emoji more positively than those with lower scores of
depression.
