Have you ever been misunderstood because you used an emoji?
Image source: 123RF
A friend and I arranged for a meeting via a phone call. We haven't met each other for some time. WhatsApp, Facebook, and the likes did not serve the conversations we had.
Face-to-face, we discussed several issues; about living, thriving, emojis, social media, among other issues.ย We discussed to considerable depth the utility of emojis; assessing their capacity to represent expressions inexpressible with words; and if they are used accurately such that they tell exactly what the user expresses when using them. Like do you really LOL when you use this: ๐?
Rethinking the conversation, I made a post on my WhatsApp status. The post๐
A reply to the post fascinated me. It was from an advocate for inclusion of people with special needs, specifically the deaf, in every role and setting in society. The emoji I used to end the post meant something different to me compared to what the advocate says it is. How much more do I stand to be misunderstood? That unveiled an opportunity to learn further.
The point: There is intentionality behind every feature in our phones, from emojis to AI cams, and every thing else that is a product of the human mind.
This could be a call to reconsider your usage of your phone features; by being a bit more sensitive in regards to what they were intended for. An emoji creates an impression. And you don't want to create a wrong one๐ฌ
On the founding of emoji: Wikipedia
Omor...I've gotten into trouble once or twice cos I used the wrong emoji and it was misinterpreted ๐ ๐
Educating, thank you!