The ever-watchful eyes of Gen Z have found a new target: the seemingly harmless thumbs up emoji.
While the “thumbs up” symbol is considered harmless by many, Gen Zers consider it passive-aggressive and even rude.
Gen Z, or Generation Z, refers to the generation roughly born between the mid-to-late 1990s and early 2010s. They have built a reputation online as tech-savvy trendsetters who redefine culture and challenge the status quo.
A Reddit user’s post sparks debate among young and old about the “thumbs up” emoji
Image credit: Emojisprout / Unsplash
A young employee complained about the thumbs up emoji in a Reddit thread, sparking a debate about the symbol.
To older people, the thumbs-up emoji is more akin to a friendly nod, a pat on the back, or simply an acknowledgement or agreement with the information provided. But Reddit users in the thread found it “disturbing” and possibly even outright hostile.
“I’ve just started an ‘adult’ job where we use Microsoft Teams to communicate with each other for work. Currently there are only a few emojis available to use to react to messages (of course you can use any emoji when replying),” the user wrote.
“Am I not mature enough to be happy with a ‘thumbs up’ emoji response?” the young worker said in the title of her Reddit post.
Image credit: Denis Cherkashin / Unsplash
The user then went on to say that while a “thumbs up” is a normal way to respond to a message, they prefer to use hearts.
“Most people at work use the “thumbs up” response all the time. I don’t use it much. I do a “heart” response or reply even if it’s just a short “Awesome!” or “Thanks!” (I feel like I use exclamation marks too much, but that’s another story). Anyway, [sic] “I get a lot of likes, but I still find the reaction unsettling. Does anyone else feel the same way?”
The young worker’s post elicited numerous responses.
“For younger people (I’m 24, FYI), the thumbs up emoji is used as a very passive-aggressive thing,” one user shared of her experience. “It’s so rude when someone just gives you a thumbs up. It took me a weird time to get used to it, since I work the same way. So it’s a generational communication culture difference. No one my age at work gives the thumbs up, but Gen Xers do it all the time. It took me a while to get used to it and I assumed it meant they were mad at me.”
The distaste for the “thumbs up” emoji is a sentiment shared by many online users.
The thumbs up emoji is too passive-aggressive so don’t be told otherwise ππ»
β π»ππππ·πΈπͺπ‘π²π΅π²π (@mrsLHK79) July 3, 2024
Am I the only one who hates the thumbs up emoji??? It’s so sarcastic and well done buddy ππ» lol No
β Danielle Thompson (@DanielleT9595) June 15, 2018
Why does dad reply with one word or that damn thumbs up emoji?! Like what?! I’m trying to have a conversation with you, I love you!
Don’t tell me you’re daddy’s girl, tell me you’re daddy’s girl…he makes me laughπ€£π€£π€£π€£ππππ₯³ #PapaBear β€οΈπ€π pic.twitter.com/nBiRUK3vis
β Hailes β€οΈπππ―π΄σ §σ ’σ ³σ £σ ΄σ Ώ (@HayleyGirl10) June 20, 2024
I think today is the day I’m going to have “the talk” with my mom about the thumbs up emoji. This is getting out of hand. Say a prayer.
β Kylo Ken (@starwarsstanboy) July 11, 2024
“The impersonal nature of this content can be unsettling. Based on this post alone, you seem like the type of person who would prefer more honest interactions with others,” wrote another user.
Another Reddit user, who is approaching 40, said she would be more worried about the “cardiac response.”
“Why does this make me feel uneasy? Honest question…because I literally reply to 90 percent of messages that way…but I’m almost 40 so I wonder if this is a generational thing…I feel more uneasy about the heart reaction,” they said.
World Emoji Day is observed every year on Wednesday, July 17th to celebrate the emojis we use almost every day.
On the occasion of the 11th #WorldEmojiDay Join us.
Until next time…β¨ππ«‘ pic.twitter.com/9xVZ1lpphX
β World Emoji Day π (@WorldEmojiDay) July 18, 2024
Image credit: Domingo Alvarez E/Unsplash
Another person wrote: βI understand what youβre saying, at my previous job we had a WhatsApp chat for team members to send each other information, but most people would just reply. [thumbs up emoji]I don’t know why, but it seemed a bit hostile to me. It was like they were approving but also saying “I don’t really care/I’m not interested.” I don’t know if you feel that way, but I got used to it and now I’m just as bad at giving thumbs up as I was before.”
Interestingly, World Emoji Day was celebrated last week on July 17th.
The framework for emojis and their use was created by the Unicode Consortium, a California-based nonprofit that releases new ones every year, but companies like Apple and Google are free to create their own designs for these symbols, making emojis an almost irreversible part of how we communicate today.
According to the Unicode Consortium website, there are currently a total of 3,782 emojis.
