Tebogo Ditshego, a media specialist, claims that generation Z is rejecting the thumbs-up emoji. It’s “abrupt, rude and even passive/aggressive”, according to Zoomers. Ditshego further states that it’s critical to teach Gen Z and millennials appropriate social media and workplace etiquette. Additionally, he says that empathy is a crucial component to take into account when communicating via social media (especially apps like Whatsapp). One should consider “how the other person going to respond and what’s their interpretation of the emoji”. The thumbs-up emoji, according to Ditshego, can indicate either “yes” or “take a hike.” (eNCA)
Gen Z canceled the ‘hostile’ thumbs-up emoji and wants to ban these 9 others
Gen Zers criticise the famous thumbs-up emoji for being “rude” and “aggressive,” going so far as to say they feel attacked anytime they encounter it in the office. Jack Hobbs and Alex Mitchell pens for the New York Post that after a Reddit user admitted to not being “not adult enough to be comfortable with the thumbs-up emoji reaction,” others joined in to agree and mention other popular emoticons, such as the red heart. Older employees were perplexed by the response, explaining that they use the thumbs-up in work-related talks to indicate “I approve” or “I understand and will obey,” the New York Post reports. (New York Post)
Gen Z Have Cancelled The Thumbs Up Emoji And Here’s Why You Should Worry
John Brandon writes for Forbes that emojis should be safe and trustworthy to use, and they shouldn’t have any extra hidden meanings or hints. Brandon questions why some emojis we use have come under fire. New research shows that the Gen Z generation no longer uses a few emojis as much as they used to. As soon as you learn that a particular emoji, like the thumbs up, is impolite or condescending, a new emoji will appear with a different meaning. Brandon believes that the solution to this issue is to “avoid these types of proclamations”. (Forbes)
We’d love to hear your thoughts. What do you think of the thumbs-up emoji?
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