Emoji as a Social Presence Tool Among Arab Digital Media Users: Do the Demographic Variables of the Sender Play a Role?

This study investigates emoji usage as a social presence tool among 1,354 Arab digital media users, focusing on how sender demographics—gender, generation, and relationship to the receiver—influence emoji frequency, motivation, and perceived appropriateness. Findings indicate that emoji use is frequent among Arabs, with younger generations using emojis more often but older generations employing them for a wider range of motives. Gender did not significantly affect emoji frequency or motivation, but a notable three-way interaction was found between sender gender, receiver gender, and emoji salience in appropriateness ratings, particularly with female recipients rating male senders' emojis as more appropriate. Additionally, emojis from family members were generally deemed more appropriate than those from strangers or colleagues, reflecting the collectivist and family-oriented nature of Arab culture.