Gen Z No Longer Giving the 'Thumbs-Up' on These 10 Emojis—See the Controversial List
Twitter had a lot to say about this.
While emojis seem like a quick way to communicate your feelings, they can also be easily misunderstood–especially when in conversation with multiple generations.
The youngest of the cellphone-carrying bunch, Gen Z, chimed in on the 10 emojis that they would like to see removed and never used again—starting with the thumbs-up emoji.
According to research done by Perspectus Global via Yahoo!, which consisted of interviewing 2,000 British people between the ages of 16 and 29, there are 10 emojis that, when used in texting, make you seem "old."
These include the thumbs-up emoji (👍), the red heart (❤️), the okay sign (👌), the check mark (✔️), the poo emoji (💩), the intense crying face (😭), the monkey covering its eyes (🙈), clapping hands (👏), the kiss or lips mark (💋), and the face with a grimace (😬).
The 2021 study recently resurfaced thanks to an article from Daily Mail titled, "Why NOBODY should be using the 'thumbs up' emoji in 2022."
The article also referenced a Reddit thread in which someone asked, "Am I not adult enough to be comfortable with the 'thumbs up' emoji reaction?"
The responses varied based on the person's age.
One person said, "Why do you feel like it’s unsettling?...that’s literally how I respond to 90% of messages... I’m almost 40 though, so I wonder if it’s a generational thing..."
Another top comment also supported the idea that it was related to a generational divide, "For younger people (I’m 24 for reference) the thumbs up emoji is used to be really passive aggressive [sic]. It’s super rude if someone just sends you a thumbs up."
They concluded: "So I also had a weird time adjusting because my workplace is the same...Everyone my age in the office doesn’t do it, but the gen X people always do it."
After Daily Mail published their article, Twitter wasn't having it, as one person jokingly replied to the report, "This morning, I sent my friend a text to say I'd be late coming over. She replied with a thumbs up emoji. I've been shaking since she sent it, and I've had to go to my safe space to recover."
Another person made a valid point about using the thumbs-up emoji in the workplace, explaining, "There's a time & place for low effort replies. If I post something on the team Slack, I often don't want a text reply just to let me know they agree — written responses are for discussion. They could use a 'like' button, but there isn't one. 👍 just says, 'I agree.'"
Many people took the article as a sign to continue using the thumbs-up emoji, with one Twitter user writing, "Cool, I'll be sure to use it more often 👍."
Who knew emojis could be this divisive?!
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