Thumbs Down?

I rarely use emojis, in part because half the time I can’t make out what they are trying to convey. And it’s not an eyesight issue. It’s more about whether that face is happy or sad or noncommittal. Are you trying to console me or mock me? Why are you sending me a pile of poop? Is that a grimace or did you get new dentures?

Sorry. I’ll get over it. But apparently Gen Z is done with some emojis and cannot understand why boomers are still using them. These are the same peeps who declared skinny jeans are over so you have to take them seriously.

According to research done with 16 to 29-year olds by Perspectus Global, there are 10 emojis that just make you look old. Thumbs up is number one on the kill list. Next is the red heart, followed by the OK fingers, check mark, poo, crying face, monkey eye cover, clapping hands, red lip kiss, and grimace face.

If you think you’re having trouble discerning emoji meanings, it turns out that 78 percent of those surveyed said they innocently used an emoji before learning that it meant something other than what they thought it did. Even they were as confused as I am.

By the way, this surveyed population indicated they used an average of 76 emojis per week. Is it so hard to just say what you mean? Why can’t we just say we’re happy to hear someone’s good news? Or sad to hear of someone’s misfortune? And I still don’t know why you would want to send someone fecal matter (new puppy?).

Twenty-two percent of the survey group indicated that they use multiple emojis in texts in order to make it clearer. Huh. Or should I say, huh? If the recipient is confused by the meaning of the inserted emoji, how does that make the text more clear?

Why am I asking you? You are most likely a baby boomer who couldn’t give 2 you-know-what’s (see…you don’t need a pile of poop). I’m glad I got that off my chest and that there is no emoji for the word chest. Is there??

Jay Harrison is a writer and creative consultant for DesignConcept. You can also visit his author page here. His newest mystery novel, Rio Puerco Demise is available on Amazon. His first mystery novel, Head Above Water, is also available on Amazon.