That emoji may not mean what you think it means
- Reference: 1657783809
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2022/07/14/emoji_survey/
- Source link:
Emoji have their roots in the text-based emoticons used to express emotion without having to waste valuable bandwidth on fripperies such as emotion. A sequence of characters could once do the job – a colon, a minus sign and a parenthesis together and hey presto, approval (or the opposite) in only three characters.
The IT industry being what it is, those emoticons evolved into emoji thanks to the possibilities afforded by the Unicode standard (there are 3,633 emoji in the standard at time of writing). The pictograms turned up on Apple and Google platforms in their first decade, and it seems rarely a release from the Windows Insider program goes by without some sort of trumpeting regarding the operating system's emoji support.
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However, while emoji can serve as handy shorthand, for some they can be baffling, annoying and occasionally downright offensive.
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In China, for example, more than half of recipients think an eggplant is an eggplant. For many others, it means … something entirely different.
[4]The survey questioned 9,400 hybrid workers spread evenly over countries including the US, the UK, India, Japan and China, and has thrown up some intriguing discrepancies in how emoji use has evolved over the years – despite many workers finding the characters essential when banging out a quick message.
[5]Why tell the doctor where it hurts, when you could use emoji instead?
[6]Logitech MX Keys Mini: Svelte keyboard takes cues from Apple in more ways than one
[7]Microsoft solicits Clippy comeback – later reveals it had already decided to bring back the peppy paperclip
[8]Google to ban emoji, deceptive marketing, and ALL CAPS from Play Store metadata later this year
As one would expect, there are substantial differences between messaging friends and family (almost three quarters of respondents like to stick a smiley or similar in a message for the former) and using emoji at work (just over half of workers use the characters with colleagues, but 30 percent never do with their boss).
Being a messaging platform, Slack is obviously keen on chatty workers, remarking they "think emoji can go a long way on the empathy meter" while highlighting the use of emoji to express care to colleagues. Maybe it's an age thing, but we'd argue a written message or possibly a chat might go a bit further than a trite picture of a broken heart.
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Unsurprisingly, the kiss, tongue and other more scatological imagery are big no-nos for the workplace and we were heartened to learn that more than half of respondents said that a specific emoji wouldn't be used unless the recipient had used it first.
Globally, the money-with-wings emoji caused confusion (some thought it meant cash outgoing while others reckoned revenue was coming in) while respondents were split on the face-throwing-a-kiss pictogram – romantic or platonic? Safest bet is probably don't use it.
Surprisingly, even the slightly-smiling-face emoji caused consternation. While most people tended to use it as an indication of happiness, 14 percent picked it as something to show exasperation or distrust (higher in the US, where a full fifth reckoned it meant deep exasperation).
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For the UK, there was almost a fifty-fifty split on what the skull emoji means. Some thought it was "I'm dead – that's funny" while others reckoned it literally meant death. Similarly, a pair of eyeballs could mean "I see you" or "I want the gossip" in the UK while only two percent of US users used it for the latter purpose.
Younger generations overall were more likely to say the recipient misunderstood an emoji. 58 percent of respondents confirmed this, saying that they were aware that a pictogram might occasionally not mean what they thought it meant.
Emoji are very much here to stay, particularly with the onward march of messaging platforms. As the survey shows, however, there might be all manner of misunderstandings when using them, both cross-country and cross-generation.
Sometimes a picture can tell a thousand words. Just not always the right ones. ®
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[4] https://slack.com/intl/en-gb/blog/collaboration/emoji-use-at-work
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2021/09/09/emoji_healthcare/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2021/10/04/logitech_mx_keys_mini/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/15/microsoft_clippy_instagram_vote/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/04/30/google_to_ban_emoji_deceptive/
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[11] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Only use these. Well that was a failure I tried to use emojis in my post... Smiley face, smiley face with glasses, smiley face with sunglasses and thumbs up... ;-}. I guess it's back to character based emojis :-{
There are some problems with your post. :-/
The post contains some characters we can’t support :-p
I guess this one is the only one to use! ----->
Re: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
:-{>
I think I need a shave
I don't remember where but I saw a claim that the winky emoji shouldn't be used in the workplace because it's unprofessional. Which sparked a long discussion. I'd use it here, but the Reg's comment system says it's unsupported :-D
:-D
shurely you mean ;-D?
Wha?
Eyeballs means gossip? I must be really old, because I can't see the connection.
I'm disappointed that the scream emoji never looks like the [1]Munch. I guess it's because his work is still under copyright. The search URL does nicely instead.
[1] https://duckduckgo.com/?q=munch+scream&t=ffab&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images
Re: Wha?
The Munch is of someone (himself) hearing a (n imaginary) scream, not someone screaming
(Leaving off the closing tag so someone can out-pedant me)
Re: Wha?
> The Munch
Munch was the artist. The painting is "The Scream" ("Skrik" in Norwegian - no definitive article)
(also not closing the tag)
It's often just the facade of politeness
I use emojis on the work slack and discord to indicate I've seen your post and 'reacted' (so you don't pout) but I have nothing to say. It's basically just an ACK or Japanese Aizuchi ('yes I heard it').
For instance where you said 'we'd argue a written message or possibly a chat might go a bit further than a trite picture of a broken heart', yes if a family member died I might leave a sincere message, but most of the time what people are bitching about does not even warrant an actual response, for instance 'I told the barista I wanted a 2-up 3-down frosted whip 5-shot caramel machiatto with rainbow sprinkles and she gave me a 2-up 3-down frosted whip 5-shot caramel machiatto with pink sprinkles, this is literally worse than hitler [sad] [sad] [sad]'. Or 'I haven't paid my rent for 6 months because of covid, it was great spending all that money on Genshin Impact instead and now they're asking me to pay up!11!' So I'll tag it with a :sadblob: and that's all it deserves.
You might think these are exaggerated, but I swear most of the whining is just this petty. So it's just me not leaving you on read but not actually caring.
Re: It's often just the facade of politeness
And there's an EXTREMELY useful use case for emoji replies even of the perfunctory insincere type: If I reply with actual text then a normie feels obligated to reply with actual text and then I have to etc. etc. even though we're both already long done saying anything useful.
Acknowledging a comment with an emoji doesn't require a response from the other person and enables us both to break out of the tyranny of endless vapid responses.
Re: It's often just the facade of politeness
"and enables us both to break out of the tyranny of endless vapid responses."
I solved that years ago ... I don't initiate such "conversations", nor do I respond to them. They quite simply do not exist to me. Sorted.
Yes, some people think I'm strange because I don't text ... Frankly, I don't give a shit.
Some of us grew sick of the concept with talk on 4.1BSD in the early '80s.
My work environment is very multicultural and I've learned that what is inoffensive in Western culture can be *very* offsenive elsewhere. Until I've built up a relationship with someone, emojis, nerd in-jokes, banter, etc are kept out of the conversation.
Emoji free zone here
No point using emojis at work as so liable to be interpreted in a different way to which it was intended (especially with a diverse workforce with different cultural backgrounds, widespread geographically too )
With many co-workers not having English as their first language (& a reduced vocabulary compared to a "native" speaker), main focus is on clear communications - including trying to use clear & simple language (avoiding obscure words even if they are apposite*) - even if it means more verbosity
Emojis just add extra ambiguity
* yes that was deliberate use of an obscure word
Eggplant
I always thought this meant aubergine.
Re: Eggplant
Emoji primer for old people normies:
Eggplant = penis
Taco = fanny
Peach = ass
Skull = funny
Movie film strip = send me nudes
Movie camera = x-rated video
Normal Smiley = being insincere
Grinning with smiling eyes = constipated or I'm ready to fight you
And of course this is highly variable depending on the country or your specific ingroup. In Japan the poop emoji can mean 'lucky'.
But that's the whole point. Having your in-group slang be incomprehensible to outsiders (especially your parents) is the goal.
Re: Eggplant
Good god, these people must be deformed. I'd see a doctor it looked like that....
Re: Eggplant
And I always thought the 'poop' emoji was shorthand for a Patch Tuesday drop!
Re: Eggplant
In Japan the poop emoji can mean 'lucky'.
Why is there an emoji for "poop" (which the NHS and most British children would call a "poo", but we all know better as a "turd")?
Why is it not the shape of a turd, but rather that of a chocolate ice-cream with a face?
Yes, a face, why in the name of all that's faecal does a turd have a face?
... and why is that face smiling? It should be grimacing, it's shit to be a turd.
But then, emoji are all shit, really.
Confusing emojis
One of the most common examples of emoji confusion is the emoji with two hands together, which is often interpreted as "I pray for you", for example when a family member has passed away. The official name of that emoji is high five...
Re: Confusing emojis
Around here, at this time of year, it's smooshing a fruit-fly,
Re: Confusing emojis
Never knew that was meant to be a high-five. Because I've not yet seen it drawn as anything but the hands (add in some upper arms and they'd be golden).
So not only are we suffering weird picto-euphemisms but also rubbish graphic design
Re: Confusing emojis
Emojipedia to the rescue!
> Two hands placed firmly together, meaning please or thank you in Japanese culture.
> Rarely used as a high-five, despite often being suggested as one by emoji keyboard search features.
> Folded Hands was approved as part of Unicode 6.0 in 2010 under the name “Person with Folded Hands”
[1]https://emojipedia.org/folded-hands/
[1] https://emojipedia.org/folded-hands/
Smiley
I never use emojis at work. I do use the smiley, which is not an emoji for me before I was using it before emojis existed.
If I'm texting with someone I know, I can use the wink smiley occasionally, but that will be the extent of it.
With my wife however, I'll use whatever emoji fits my SMS the best.
Re: Smiley
"With my wife however, I'll use whatever emoji fits my SMS the best."
Personally, I talk to my wife. Easier, faster, and gets more information+feedback across than typing.
Remember, it's a telephone. tele meaning "far" + phone meaning "sound, voice". A thingie you have a conversation over at a distance.
Re: Smiley
I think you'll find these days it's a smartphone. s meaning "it's" + mart meaning "a place where you spend money" + p meaning "piss" + hone meaning "improve"
A device to encourage you to spend money, and piss away any chance at self-improvement.
The question is...
A quote from Lewis Caroll: “When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.’
’The question is,’ said Alice, ‘whether you can make words mean so many different things.’
’The question is,’ said Humpty Dumpty, ‘which is to be master — that’s all.”
Pictograms ...
... are so limiting, and so easily capable of leading one astray. Use English (or other language of choice) if you want to get your point across with minimal misunderstanding. There is a reason that archaeologists argue over the meaning of ancient rock and parietal art, and trick-cyclists argue over the meaning (if any) of the finger painting of very young children.
Obligatory XKCD
https://xkcd.com/1953/
Younger generations overall were more likely to say the recipient misunderstood an emoji.
The younger generation creates and uses a language using emoji that is now equally ambiguous than "standard" languages using letters and words.
That is to be expected. Language is ambiguous.
No.
"The IT industry being what it is, those emoticons evolved into emoji"
We're not accepting the blame for that. That's on the users. We still use ASCII.
Re: No.
TINW
But yes.
"there are 3,633 emoji in the standard at time of writing"
So we effectively have an entire new 'vocabulary'. However it's one without any evolutionary process or specific cultural background as it's being invented piecemeal on the fly by all and sundry. Consequently it's inevitably even more difficult to interpret correctly than any extant pictographic script. Ancient Egyptian was bad enough as it ultimately aggregated pictograms from multiple different regions, so it finished up with several pictograms with common meanings and multiple meanings for a lot of the pictograms. But at least all of these had recognisable origins that could be traced back to when the archaeologists were faced with translating the ancient texts.
So it does seem a little impractical to assign 5.5% of the Unicode space (so far) to pictograms with no assured specific meanings (particularly as many may well become obsolete quite fast as fashions change).
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
What are you gonna do?