As easy as it is to send, a passive-aggressive emoji can be terribly unpleasant to receive. But are thumbs-up emojis really passive-aggressive?
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Communication is an interesting and intrinsic part of being human. The ability to communicate effectively using language is something we can only do through the development of this wonderful (and sometimes sadistic) thing we call a brain. But for communication to be clear, you need a transmitter, a receiver, a medium and a context. Without context, all words are meaningless. So what happens when you take texting (a means of communication that is inherently devoid of voice and tone) and add photos (which have their own voice, and people provide their own tone? ) ? Nothing very good, it seems.
Emojis
Emojis, or “picture characters” in Japanese, were born in Japan in the late 90s as part of texting communication. The phenomenon only saw a global breakthrough in 2011, when every teenager capable of operating a phone began using them as a means of communication. Today, 838 emojis are still used. There is much debate about whether this is an effective form of communication. Indeed, although the emotions expressed by the images are clear, the tone used can vary depending on the context. It turns out that it's not the emoji that's the problem, but the interpretation (or rather misinterpretation) of the tone that is. Texting is a form of communication that has little tone when it is not clearly injected, and when communication is devoid of tone, the recipient often applies their own (which is usually incorrect).
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What Using Emojis Says About You
There are many interpretations of what using emoji says about you, and apparently Gen Zers think it makes the person seem old and out of touch (according to Prospectus Global).
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Gen Z's opinion on emojis
Cancel culture appears to be coming to those who use passive-aggressive emojis, and to the emojis themselves, as shown by a survey of 2,000 people aged 16 to 29, who were asked about their use emojis and their opinion of others. Respondents sent an average of 80 emojis per week, and 22% said they use multiple emojis in a text to make a message clearer to avoid misunderstandings.
According to Yahoo News, the ten worst emojis are grimacing face (the wide-toothed smile that's not quite a smile), kiss mark, clapping hands, monkey eye patch (the monkey sees ), the loud crying face, the poop emoji, the check mark, the “Ok” hand, the red heart, and worst of all is the thumbs up (declared passive-aggressive emoji). The thumbs-up emoji has been called hostile and rude, equivalent to the new “K” that our parents hated so much.
While the issue of emojis could easily be turned into an issue of generations, that's not the case, the problem is that they are far too easy to misinterpret.
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Passive-Aggressive Emojis in the Workplace
Professor Vyvyan Evans, author of The Emoji Code, says that “the common misconception is that an emoji is the equivalent of a teenage grunt, a throwback to the dark ages of illiteracy, which makes making us worse communicators in the process – maybe even dumber.”
There is a time and a place for everything. When it comes to talking to your friends who have a similar mindset or who can pick up on the nuances of your conversation, easily understanding your tone, an emoji may not be inappropriate. In a professional context, where clear communication is necessary for team cohesion, perhaps opt for clarity. Emojis are social tools. Know when to use them, when they are appropriate, and when to avoid them for the clearest communication possible.
Do you agree with the cancel culture that emojis (and passive-aggressive emojis) make the person using them look old? Or are you on the side of those who think it's a tool that can be used effectively in the right contexts? Let us know which side of the coin you are on.
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