Tech Talk: March 2017 Keeping U Updated

Are you fluent in Emoji?

Since the dawn of time, humans have communicated by assigning meaning to sound, smell, touch, designs, characters, and objects. As civilizations have evolved, so too have the tools we use to communicate our intended meanings. In the past several years, one could make the case that we as a society are moving toward communicating with fewer and fewer words. What once was the 1-page executive summary, became the 30-second elevator pitch, which has evolved to the 140 character tweet…so what’s next?

As with all things technology, what’s next is already what’s here in that more and more we are using emojis to communicate our thoughts and feelings. There is a growing body of research on the meanings, and hidden meanings, of emojis. If you or your child(ren) share emojis when you text family or friends, you’re familiar with using emojis in place of words. But do emojis mean the same to every person? Do some emojis have double (or triple!) meanings? How can I be sure you’ll interpret the meaning of the emoji you receive as the same meaning that was intended when I sent it?

These may be some of the questions that prompted the development of several of these emoji resources:

In addition to defining the primary meaning, there are hidden or secret meanings of emojis that users may have within groups of people. Although there are many articles on this subject, we recommend discussing emojis with your family and friends to confirm their meaning. If an emoji does have a double meaning, it’s best to be informed as to how that emoji could be interpreted (or misinterpreted) when used to communicate via text or social media. It’s also important for parents to know what their child(ren) is referring to when sending or receiving emojis. Please take a few moments to have this discussion with your family as another helpful way to keep the lines of communication open.