Did you know that GenZ has canceled the 👍 emoji?
Apparently, this seemingly affirmatory gesture is now deemed passive-aggressive. This has sparked an aggressive-aggressive generational debate on Reddit, which touches on the sensitive intersection of communication, understanding, and emotional intelligence.
John Brandon once deemed himself the only “sad face” tech journalist having never used an emoticon. However, in recent years he started using them as a way to “relay emotion” as long as it wasn’t “cheesy or trite.” He admits, his previous lack of emoticons was a gateway to his kids making him “a little endearing,” and eventually led to his downfall in using emojis altogether. Brandon believes canceling the “thumbs up” 👍 is “worrying,” because who the hell has time to keep up with the trends of symbols?
I wholeheartedly disagree. 💗🙅
As a parent, we need to keep up with the lingo, even if it means we 🤦🤸🤮😵… Technology is a language for our kids, and if we are to truly empathize, understand, and grow with our kids, we need to get down “boogie” with the emoji. 💃🕺😀
I’m embracing this NEW evolving retro hieroglyphics, and I’m planning on polygloting my way to emoji literacy. 😀
I wonder if there is a course on Duolingo?
Who is with me?
The word Emoji comes from the Japanese “e” (picture) and “moji” (character). The world’s first Emoji was created in 1999 by Shigetaka Kurita, who took his inspiration from weather symbols.
According to a survey of 9,400 conducted by Slack and Duolingo (maybe a course is coming? Haha ) 73% of people use emojis regularly when messaging friends and 68% with family. 67% of respondents feel closer and more bonded in a conversation when messaging someone who understands the emoji they’re using.
But don’t let the 4-byte expression fool you.
There can be deeper, more literary expressions in emoji too!
Data engineer Fred Benenson set up a project to translate the classic novel Moby-Dick into emoji, called Emoji Dick. In his Kickstarter proposal, Benenson explained: “I’m interested in the phenomenon of how our language, communications and culture are influenced by digital technology. Emoji are either a low point or a high point in that story, so I felt I could confront a lot of our shared anxieties about the future of human expression by forcing a great work of literature through such a strange new filter.”
My Disney-obsessed ten year old daughter pointed me to this fun Buzzfeed quiz that was “trending” in her class chat that used emojis to describe the plotlines of Disney movies. Even Sherry Turkle has written about using emojis with her kids as a way to build relationships, particularly when they are developing their writing and communication skills.
But again, don’t let the 4-byte expression fool you.
There can be alternate, more perverse, meaning in emoji as well!
Recently, on my private Infinite Screentime Facebook group, I posted a parent’s guide to emoji slang from Bark Technologies which got a ton of responses. Many parents were concerned about how their kids were using emojis as a secret code language to hide behavior from them. A quick search of “Emoji Slang for Parents” on the internet, will lead to headlines that urge you to “need to know or else!”
It is no secret that texting is essential. It’s the preferred method of communication for many, especially teens. And while some kids may use code words to misbehave, it is more likely about being masters of their OWN slang. Can you dig it, Daddy-O?
The 🤤 “Drooling Face” could mean any of the following:
• Ecstasy (aka Molly)
• Desiring someone sexually (often used in response to nudes)
• Desiring a pair of Gucci x Adidas Gazelles
• Desiring a pizza (anytime)
• Slack-jawed by Lady Gaga’s talent
Which one does he mean???
The answer for you and your kid is context. As I have said before, “IRL” is the only internet slang that you really need to know, and it is the guide that will bring you all the answers for how screentime plays into your child’s life. How to talk to your kid about screentime IRL will dictate how they behave online.
So, if you have a teen, play a game with them to see how many of these sexually charged emojis they might have seen in their chats. Take a page from Brandon and make yourself the endearing clueless parent that needs a guide on the new lingo. You may be surprised to see how they open up to you about the sensitivity of language among their friends. Again, our kids (and we) are treading the sensitive intersection of communication, understanding, and emotional intelligence… we all would love someone to just be there for us.
How many of these do you know?
If you have a younger child, go through the emoji library together. Sitting side by side, watch, hear, and listen to the context they imbue into each symbol. My 10 year old daughter and I have a massive text chain where we try to communicate with each other using ONLY symbols. I have to admit, sometime I cheat and use a Emoji Translater because as Brandon noted, it’s a helluva lot to digest!
It’s a good idea to talk to your young ones about different meanings of symbols to let them know that language is about expression. Start the conversation early about which words are inappropriate, particularly from adults.
It’s never too early to start our children on the road of media literacy.
Soooo, to get back to the emojis that are on the downtrend.
According to CNN, the crying laughing emoji is seen by younger generations to be stale. Also, according to the New York Post, a study conducted by Perspectus Global of over 2,000 people aged 16 to 29, revealed 10 emojis that are, as the New York Post puts it, “canceled.”
The emojis include: Thumbs-up 👍, red heart ❤️, “OK” hand 👌, checkmark ✅, poo 💩, loud crying face 😭, monkey covering eyes 🙈, clapping hands 👏, lipstick kiss mark 💋 and grimacing face 😬.
Whether you retire these emoticons is up to you! For me, I plan on staying hip with the times but retro too! My kids will make fun of me, and that might be how they talk to me. I’m using 👍👍👍👍👍 all the way.
And anyway, the thumbs up gesture has multiple meanings… just ask Gus Van Sant.