Latest news with #EricaDhawan
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
The smiley emoji can cause awkward moments, as it means different things to different generations
From a simple thumbs up to a laughing cowboy, there is an emoji for almost any conceivable moment. But it is the humble smiley face which is the most iconic of them all. However, if you've been sending smiley faces on your group chats, you might have been giving people the wrong idea. For millennials and the older generations, a smiley face is just a way of expressing happiness, but it can have a very different meaning for Gen Z. Instead of being a genuine smile, Gen Z takes this grinning face to convey sarcasm or irony. That means sending smiley face emoji to your younger colleagues in work emails might be making you seem passive-aggressive rather than friendly. According to Erica Dhawan, author of Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance, people over 30 tend to use emoji according to their 'dictionary'. But for younger 'digital natives' who grew up with technology, each emoji can have a whole host of different meanings. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Gen Z and Millennials revealed how differently they employed the smiley face. Hafeezat Bishi, a 21-year-old intern, told the publication that she felt her older workers were being cold with her when using the emoji. Ms Bishi said that she typically viewed the smile as 'dismissive' and conveying a 'side-eye smile' instead of genuine enthusiasm. She added: 'I had to remember they are older, because I use it sarcastically.' Sara Anderson, a 31-year-old cheerleading coach, said that she regularly included the emoji in messages to add 'lightness' in messages to her team. Ms Dhawan says this is because older generations tend to read emojis as representing the objects they literally portray. That means a smiley face is a happy smile, a snowflake means that it is snowing, and an aubergine is referring to a type of vegetable. But for those who grew up messaging over social media, emoji often have other meanings that have built up over time. Another emoji that can come across as sarcastic is the 'sparkle' emoji. Older users often use these cute sparkles to express positive emotions such as gratitude or excitement. However, for Gen Z, it is more likely to mean that a statement has a sarcastic tone, just like members of older internet messaging boards used to add '/s' after a statement. The same is true of the 'thumbs up' emoji, which is used to express positive affirmation by older users but is often seen as sarcastic by Gen Z. Linguists studying emoji use have also pointed out that the symbols' new meanings can often emerge from slang that older users might not be aware of. For example, older social media users might see the 'skull' emoji as a literal symbol of death or as a sign that someone is figuratively dead - as in 'dead tired' after exercise. But for younger users, the skull is used to say 'I'm dead', which means that they found something hilarious and have 'died laughing'. So, if you get a series of skull emoji in response to a joke, it may actually mean that someone found it extremely funny. Likewise, the fire emoji doesn't represent a literal fire or heat but is rather used to say that something is 'fire', meaning very good or cool, or that someone is 'hot', as in extremely attractive. So, if you want to comment on the warm weather under someone's holiday snaps, you should probably think twice before using the fire emoji. In some cases, the hidden meaning of emoji can also be much darker. In 2023, Surrey Police issued a guide for parents on the latest emoji slang for the drug trade. If you see your child using a horse emoji, for example, that could be a reference to Ketamine, a drug used in veterinary medicine to anaesthetize horses. An alien, demon mask, space invader, or skull and crossbones emoji, meanwhile, could be a reference to MDMA. According to Surrey Police, cocaine is typically referred to using emoji that represent various nicknames for the drug, such as a snowflake or snowman to refer to 'snow' or blowfish to mean 'blow'.
News.com.au
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Gen Z co-opted the smiley face emoji, but beware — it means something totally different to them
What used to be the universal symbol of warmth and joy has taken a sinister turn – at least in the eyes of Gen Z. The classic smiley face emoji now means something completely different to those under 30, The New York Post reports. Instead of conveying happiness, the grinning yellow face is now seen as dismissive, passive-aggressive, or straight-up sarcastic. And if you're sending it to younger colleagues or friends, it could be rubbing them the wrong way. Hafeezat Bishi, a 21-year-old intern, recently told The Wall Street Journal that she was taken aback when her older co-workers used the smiley emoji in emails and texts. 'I had to remember they are older, because I was use it sarcastically,' Ms Bishi said, explaining that she often views the emoji as conveying a 'side-eye smile' rather than genuine enthusiasm. Meanwhile Sara Anderson, a 31-year-old cheerleading coach, told the publication that she regularly includes the emoji to add 'lightness' to her messages. That's exactly the disconnect: what seems friendly to older folks can come off as phony or even biting to the younger crowd. According to Erica Dhawan, author of Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance, older generations tend to take emojis at face value, while younger 'digital natives' assign entirely different meanings. 'People over 30 tend to use emojis according to their dictionary,' Ms Dhawan told The Journal, emphasising that for Gen Z, emoji meanings have evolved into a whole new lexicon. But the generational gap isn't just about smiley faces. Back in March, Amit Kalley, founder of support site For Working Parents, warned that emojis have become a covert language for teenagers to communicate everything from drug slang to hate speech. 'It's far from an exhaustive list, but it's based on common emojis used to say something very different to what you'd think,' Ms Kalley wrote on Instagram, pointing to a 'periodic table of emojis' that decodes the supposedly hidden messages. A recent study from Oklahoma State University, meanwhile, found that emoji use can reveal a lot more about your personality than you might think. Researchers surveyed 285 undergraduates, mostly 20-year-olds, to see how their emoji habits aligned with personality traits. 'Emoji use may be related to strategies to manipulate the perceptions of others and to present a positive impression of oneself,' the study said, suggesting that what you send could say more about you than you realise. So, the next time you slap a smiley face emoji on a message to Gen Z, think twice – it might not come off as cheery as you'd hoped.
New York Post
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Gen Z co-opted the smiley face emoji, but beware — it means something totally different to them
Smiling at Gen Z? Better watch your back. What used to be the universal symbol of warmth and joy has taken a sinister turn — at least in the eyes of Gen Z. The classic smiley face emoji now means something completely different to those under 30. Instead of conveying happiness, the grinning yellow face is now seen as dismissive, passive-aggressive, or straight-up sarcastic. And if you're sending it to younger colleagues or friends, it could be rubbing them the wrong way. Hafeezat Bishi, a 21-year-old intern, recently told the Wall Street Journal that she was taken aback when her older coworkers used the smiley emoji in emails and texts. 4 Flashing a smile at Gen Z? Brace yourself. The classic symbol of warmth and friendliness has morphed into something far snarkier — at least to them. Emojipedia 'I had to remember they are older, because I use it sarcastically,' Bishi said, explaining that she often views the emoji as conveying a 'side-eye smile' rather than genuine enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Sara Anderson, a 31-year-old cheerleading coach, told the outlet that she regularly includes the emoji to add 'lightness' to her messages. But that's exactly the disconnect — what seems friendly to older folks can come off as phony or even biting to the younger crowd. According to Erica Dhawan, author of 'Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance,' older generations tend to take emojis at face value, while younger 'digital natives' assign entirely different meanings. 4 Author Erica Dhawan says older folks read emojis by the book — but for Gen Z, those little icons pack a whole new punch. Tada Images – 'People over 30 tend to use emoji according to their dictionary,' Dhawan told the Journal, emphasizing that for Gen Z, emoji meanings have evolved into a whole new lexicon. But the generational gap isn't just about smileys. Back in March, Amit Kalley, founder of mom-and-dad support site For Working Parents, warned that emojis have become a covert language for teens to communicate everything from drug slang to hate speech. 'It's far from an exhaustive list, but it's based on common emojis used to say something very different to what you'd think,' Kalley wrote on Instagram, pointing to a 'periodic table of emojis' that decodes the hidden messages. 4 What looks like a friendly emoji to boomers and millennials? To Gen Z, it could mean a fake smile or a not-so-subtle jab. DisobeyArt – And the emoji evolution doesn't end there. A recent study from Oklahoma State University found that emoji use can reveal a lot more about your personality than you might think. Researchers surveyed 285 undergraduates, mostly 20-year-olds, to see how their emoji habits aligned with personality traits. 4 To Gen Z, that classic smiley face emoji isn't all sunshine — it's more of a smug, side-eye smirk that can come off as passive-aggressive in texts like above. 'Emoji use may be related to strategies to manipulate the perceptions of others and to present a positive impression of oneself,' the study said, suggesting that what you send could say more about you than you realize. So, the next time you slap a smiley face emoji on a message to Gen Z, think twice — it might not come off as cheery as you'd hoped.
Daily Mail
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Warning issued to anyone using this smiley face emoji
From a simple thumbs up to a laughing cowboy, there is an emoji for almost any conceivable moment. But it is the humble smiley face which is the most iconic of them all. However, if you've been sending smiley faces on your group chats, you might have been giving people the wrong idea. For millennials and the older generations, a smiley face is just a way of expressing happiness, but it can have a very different meaning for Gen Z. Instead of being a genuine smile, Gen Z take this grinning face to convey sarcasm or irony. That means sending smiley face emoji to your younger colleagues in work emails might be making you seem passive-aggressive rather than friendly. According to Erica Dhawan, author of Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance, people over 30 tend to use emoji according to their 'dictionary'. But for younger 'digital natives' who grew up with technology, each emoji can have a whole host of different meanings. You may have been sending the smiley face emoji wrong, warn experts. For younger generations, this smile actually symbolises an insincere smile and can be seen as passive-aggressive Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, Gen Z and Millennials revealed how differently they employed the smiley face. Hafeezat Bishi, a 21-year-old intern, told the publication that she felt her older workers were being cold with her when using the emoji. Ms Bishi said that she typically viewed the smile as 'dismissive' and conveying a 'side-eye smile' instead of genuine enthusiasm. She added: 'I had to remember they are older, because I use it sarcastically.' Sara Anderson, a 31-year-old cheerleading coach, said that she regularly included the emoji in messages to add 'lightness' in messages to her team. Ms Dhawan says this is because older generations tend to read emojis as representing the objects they literally portray. That means a smiley face is a happy smile, a snowflake means that it is snowing, and an aubergine is referring to a type of vegetable. But for those who grew up messaging over social media, emoji often have other meanings that have built up over time. Another emoji that can come across as sarcastic is the 'sparkle' emoji. Older users often use these cute sparkles to express positive emotions such as gratitude or excitement. However, for Gen Z, it is more likely to mean that a statement has a sarcastic tone, just like members of older internet messaging boards used to add '/s' after a statement. The same is true of the 'thumbs up' emoji, which is used to express positive affirmation by older users but is often seen as sarcastic by Gen Z. Linguists studying emoji use have also pointed out that the symbols' new meanings can often emerge from slang that older users might not be aware of. For example, older social media users might see the 'skull' emoji as a literal symbol of death or as a sign that someone is figuratively dead - as in 'dead tired' after exercise. But for younger users, the skull is used to say 'I'm dead', which means that they found something hilarious and have 'died laughing'. So, if you get a series of skull emoji in response to a joke, it may actually mean that someone found it extremely funny. Likewise, the fire emoji doesn't represent a literal fire or heat but is rather used to say that something is 'fire', meaning very good or cool, or that someone is 'hot', as in extremely attractive. So, if you want to comment on the warm weather under someone's holiday snaps, you should probably think twice before using the fire emoji. In some cases, the hidden meaning of emoji can also be much darker. In 2023, Surrey Police issued a guide for parents on the latest emoji slang for the drug trade. If you see your child using a horse emoji, for example, that could be a reference to Ketamine, a drug used in veterinary medicine to anaesthetise horses. An alien, demon mask, space invader, or skull and crossbones emoji, meanwhile, could be a reference to MDMA. According to Surrey Police, cocaine is typically referred to using emoji that represent various nicknames for the drug, such as a snowflake or snowman to refer to 'snow' or blowfish to mean 'blow'. ARE EMOJIS RUINING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE? Emojis may be a fun form of communication but they are destroying the English language, a recent study by Google has revealed. Smiley faces, love hearts, thumbs up and other cartoon icons - rather than words - are the preferred method of communication by teenagers, who are considered the worst offenders regarding the decline in grammar and punctuation. More than a third of British adults believe emojis are the reason for the deterioration in proper language usage, according to the study commissioned by the Google-owned site YouTube. Of the two thousand adults, aged 16 to 65, who were asked their views, 94 per cent reckoned English was in a state of decline, with 80 per cent citing youngsters as the worst offenders. The most common errors made by Brits are spelling mistakes (21 per cent), followed closely by apostrophe placement (16 per cent) and the misuse of a comma (16 per cent). More than half of British adults are not confident with their command of spelling and grammar, the study also found. Furthermore, around three-quarters of adults rely on emoji to communicate, in addition to a dependence on predictive text and spell checking. The use of emojis has seeped into our culture to such an extent that the Oxford Dictionary's 'Word of the Year' in 2015 wasn't actually a word at all - it was the Face With Tears emoji, which shows just how influential the little graphic images have become. They were first used by Japanese mobile phone companies in the late 1990s to express an emotion, concept or message in a simple, graphic way.
