Gen Z apparently finds the smiley face emoji both ‘passive aggressive’ and ‘sinister’.
It seems that using emojis is truly a minefield.
From revelations about what the ‘cute eyes‘ emoji really means to news that the thumbs-up symbol isn’t quite as positive as we’d always thought, it seems things can get lost in translation when you opt for a little picture alongside your text.
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The latest emoji news is apparently Gen Z finding the smiley face icon offensive – and the internet is baffled.
It seems that the issues with the smiley face emoji are all a part of a generational divide.
Millennials don’t seem to have a problem with adding a smile to their texts.
Donna Scott, 38, tells 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.
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“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.
“It actually shocked me to hear that it was seen in such a way.”
Scott adds that she hopes people see the real ‘intention’ behind the emojis she sends, rather than any ‘new meaning’.
Riika Heinaaho, 29 expresses a similar sentiment, saying: “Let’s say you are emailing someone with a lot of critiques, and you want to soften it up, sometimes the smiley does it.”
However, these same views are not reflected by Gen Z.
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Hafeezat Bishi, a 21-year-old intern in the US, tells The Wall Street Journal she interprets the smile as ‘dismissive’ and conveying a ‘side-eye smile’.
“I had to remember [my colleagues] are older, because I use it sarcastically,” she comments.
Ellie York, 23, says that ‘there is definitely a more sinister passive-aggressive or sarcastic side’ to the face.
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“I think it’s the eyes. It’s got an ‘oh really’ expression,” she explains. “People my age who use emojis tend to use this in conversations with each other, not as a happy response, but in a more sarcastic or ironic sense.”
The emoji is described as a ‘slight smiling face’ by the social media management company Later, which adds it’s: “A simple and gentle smile, portraying subtle happiness.”
While The Sun adds that it’s typically used ‘on the end of a professional message to keep things good-natured and positive’.
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However, the outlet adds that some ‘might use it with a sarcastic, ironic or patronising tone’.
So, it seems it’s all up to interpretation and who you’re exchanging the emoji with!
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