The Emoji Evolution!


The Emoji Evolution!
Is it possible that emoji’s are actually improving our language?

Grinning Face! Face With Tears of Joy! Rolling on the Floor Laughing! I don’t know about you, but I, along with many others, use emoji’s for everything. Emphasis! Punctuation! Emotional cues, and, best of all, when you simply don’t want to respond!

For me, emoji’s are a life saver – so then why do people hate them so much?

A popular argument against emoji’s is that communicating in pictures is causing our language to evolve backwards, but I have to disagree. In a modern world where more people are texting than ever, emotional cues are being lost when not talking face-to-face, and the meaning behind our texts are being misunderstood - for example, the text, ‘I see your diet is going well’ could be interpreted as an unkind comment with the intention to offend, when really the sender is just making a joke. And how are over 90% of texters rescuing this awkward situation? Emojis! If our text was changed to, ‘I see your diet is going well [face with tears of joy]’, the person receiving the text will know it’s a joke, and no unpleasant misunderstandings will occur. Surely this is a good thing?

And that’s not all! No-one wants to come off as being rude, but there are times when you’re simply too busy to send a long text. With emoji’s, this is no longer a problem – send a Thumbs Up for support, or a Rolling on the Floor Laughing in response to a joke. This way, we are not being rude by ignoring the message, nor are we wasting too much time. In this way, emoji’s are actually an extension of our language, as we are using them to get a message across without using words - so surely emoji’s should be seen as a positive development in our language?

Sadly, in a world of social media, and a society which puts ridiculous pressures on us, teenagers actually find it difficult to express their feelings in words. This is where emoji’s come in handy yet again, as 72% of 18-25 year olds find it easier to express their feelings in emoji pictures. Young people experience many difficult times as they’re growing up, so surely any way in which they are expressing what they’re feeling is a good thing? Ever since we are children, we are told not to bottle up our emotions, so who are we to criticise a communication which allows us to avoid doing just that?

The truth is, emoji’s are an extension of the modern world we live in. People may not communicate through letters like they did in the dark ages, but emoji’s are the perfect development of our language – they are understood by everyone, and help us express the meaning behind our texts, just like when having a conversation in person.

But if you don’t like emoji’s, don’t use them – just don’t moan at me for communicating more effectively!


[Grinning face]

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