Northampton Electronic Collection of Theses and Research

Put on a Smiley Face: Textspeak and Personality Perceptions

Fullwood, C., Quinn, S., Chen-Wilson, J., Chadwick, D. and Reynolds, K. (2015) Put on a Smiley Face: Textspeak and Personality Perceptions. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. 18(3), pp. 147-151. 2152-2715.

Item Type: Article
Abstract: With the emergence of web 2.0 there has been a dramatic surge in user-generated content. Although the Internet provides greater freedom in self-presentation, computer-mediated communication is characterised by a more relaxed attitude to grammar, spelling and punctuation. The language of the Internet, or textspeak, may be suitable for casual interactions but inappropriate in professional contexts. We tested participant perceptions of an author’s personality in two distinct contexts (formal vs. informal) and manipulated the written information under three levels of textspeak: none, low and high. Participants judged the author as less conscientious and less open, but more emotionally stable when textspeak was used, however context had no impact. Personality perceptions of textspeak users differ to those who write in standard English and this is likely to extend to informal impression management contexts (e.g. online dating). These findings also have a number of implications, for example in terms of screening applicants via social media.
Creators: Fullwood, Chris, Quinn, Sally, Chen-Wilson, Josephine, Chadwick, Darren and Reynolds, Katie
Faculties, Divisions and Institutes: Faculties > Faculty of Health & Society > Psychology
Date: 9 March 2015
Date Type: Published Online
Page Range: pp. 147-151
Journal or Publication Title: Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking
Volume: 18
Number: 3
Number of Pages: 5
Language: English
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2014.0463
ISSN: 2152-2715
Status: Published / Disseminated
Refereed: Yes
URI: http://nectar.northampton.ac.uk/id/eprint/11915

Actions (login required)

Edit Item Edit Item