Public Humiliation by Emojis? No Thank You

In today’s society all age ranges use emojis to communicate - kids on their iPads “texting” their parents random food icons when they’re bored and if they’re feeling mischievous maybe even a poop emoji; senior citizens sending their grandchildren hearts at the end of every message to make sure that they know they’re loved, parents trying to seem “cool”. The list goes on.

Emojis are a great way to communicate, add a bit more razzle dazzle to a message, or even break up the tension when you first start texting someone new. However, sometimes emoji’s can often be misinterpreted or mean different things to different people. The high-five emoji for example, several people used that emoji as prayer hands. That emoji was often sent out when people wanted to convey that they were praying for someone, asking for something, etc… Personally I’m guilty of using that emoji a few times when trying to ask my parents for money as nice as possible. Others thought the emoji meant a high-five and would be confused as to why someone was sending them a “high-five” emoji when they told the other person something tragic.

The debate of whether the emoji was a high-five or prayer hands sparked so much confusion in society it became a debate in many households. I remember when Apple finally made an announcement saying that it was meant to be a high-five, but so many people use it as prayer hands in their new update they will make it resemble prayer hands. Apple’s announcement helped to calm the confusion but that is only one example. Emoji’s can help or hinder you if you don’t know what you’re doing. They’re almost like a ticking time bomb; one wrong move. and you’ll be humiliated with no chance to go back if someone saw your message.

The best way to avoid setting the bomb off is simple; DO YOUR RESEARCH! If you’re attempting to promote a product whether it’s in another country, to a certain age range, demographic, the list goes on. Doing your research is essential to ensuring that your message is perceived well by others. You don’t want something that you may consider funny or witty to come off offensive instead. When doing your research, it’s important to not only do your research online but going up to consumers, friends, family, or even conducting focus groups that consist of your target market to hear the opinion of others in order to make sure that the message you’re trying to convey translates well to everyone.

Different cultures use different emojis for a variety of things. Emoji’s can help to enhance communication if you know your target audience, or who you’re talking to. It’s important to know about someone’s culture, background, beliefs and opinions before using certain emoji’s because while it may be funny or mean nothing to you, there’s a possibility that it can be very offensive to others. Whether you’re using emojis to communicate to consumers, a loved one, or promote a product be sure that you know who you’re addressing, or it could be your downfall.