Although e-mail recipients rely on nonverbal cues to form impressions of senders, relatively little is known about specific contextual factors that may influence sender perceptions in computer-mediated communication. Results from an experiment found that the receivers' personalities influenced their perceptions of the e-mail sender both directly and indirectly through perceptions of nonverbal cues. These results support the notions that the meaning of nonverbal cues is contextually bound and that receivers' personalities influence perceptions of both nonverbal cues and senders. Implications for managers and organizational performance are discussed.
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