Featured Image Credit: Apple / Narumon Bowonkitwanchai/Getty Images
It seems even emojis aren't safe from Gen Z ridicule.
For a long time, millennials used the thumbs-up emoji to mean "Great" or "Thanks," especially for quick replies in work chats like Microsoft Teams.
The laughing with tears emoji was also a favourite for reflecting 'dying of laughter' until Gen Z replaced it with a skull emoji.
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Now, Gen Z has turned its focus on the classic smiley face - which they find surprisingly offensive, causing yet another divide between the generations.
Erica Dhawan, author of Digital Body Language: How to Build Trust and Connection, No Matter the Distance, explained that people aged 30 and over tend to use emojis by their dictionary definition, while younger “digital natives” like to add their own interpretation to emojis.
38-year-old Donna Scott, like many millennials, doesn't get the hidden meaning and was pretty 'shocked' to hear it could come across as negative.
She told The Independent: “I always thought it was a way to show that what I was saying in a message was in a happy and positive context, as often the intention of a message can get lost.
“I don’t really see how it is passive-aggressive, I think there’s plenty of other emojis that are better suited for this, such as the raised eyebrow emoji."
Similarly, Riika Heinaaho, 29, uses the smiley to soften feedback, especially in professional emails.
“Let’s say you are emailing someone with a lot of critiques, and you want to soften it up, sometimes the smiley does it,” Heinaaho added. “[It] just makes your whole demeanour more friendly. Also, if you are genuinely happy with something, why not throw a happy face in there.”
But Gen Z sees it differently.
Hafeezat Bishi, a 21-year-old US intern, told The Wall Street Journal she finds the smiley ‘dismissive,’ giving off a ‘side-eye smile’.
She commented: “I had to remember [my colleagues] are older because I use it sarcastically."
23-year-old Ellie York agreed that there's 'definitely a more sinister passive-aggressive or sarcastic side' to the smiley face.
“I think it’s the eyes," York described. "It’s got an ‘oh really’ expression."
Although she uses it to convey a 'sarcastic or ironic' tone among friends, she does interpret the emoji as a genuine smile when it is sent by someone older than her.
As such, she also uses it herself when communicating with her older colleagues.
At the end of the day, regardless of how you read into the emoji, just be mindful of who you're sending it to so you don't send the wrong kind of message.
