Different generations have verrry different outlooks on life. We view work, the internet, technology, media, and fashion differently — hell, we can’t even agree on a type of jean that’s cool.
Sooo, of course, when it comes to emoji use, it’s safe to say Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and boomers are kind of all over the place.
A recent poll revealed certain emojis that Gen Z would NEVER use, but I wanted to know more about their emoji use in the first place, and how it compares to older generations’. So, I decided to ask three different generations how they use certain emojis.
I talked to two members of Gen Z:
Jo (they/them): a 14-year-old high school freshman
Michael (he/him) : a 13-year-old 8th grader
Two millennials:
Emily (she/her): a 35-year-old writer and professor
Sam (she/they): a 29-year-old writer and artist
And two people in their 50s:
Ant (he/him): a 57-year-old medical professional (Gen X’er)
Mike (he/him): a late-50s medical professional (baby boomer)
Before I asked about specific emojis, I asked for their thoughts on generational emoji use.
Jo, a Gen Z’er, said that their generation doesn’t use emojis “the way they’re supposed to be used,” and instead, uses them “in an ironic way.” They added, “We use emojis a lot as a joke or to imitate someone who would use them literally.”
Xavier Lorenzo / Getty Images
“If I use a laughing emoji, it would be to imitate someone who uses that emoji.”
“Gen Z evolves really fast. If something’s funny one day, it’s not necessarily funny the next day, so you have to keep up.”
Miguel Pereira / Getty Images
“Older generations use emojis very literally. They’re used to longer trends, so they don’t realize when something’s not funny anymore. It’s hard for them to keep up.”
Sam, a millennial, said she thinks younger generations “use emojis as punctuation or as a shorthand response.” But “older generations and people not on the ‘net use them in a more serious way.”
Klaus Vedfelt / Getty Images
Ant, a member of…
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