The Importance of Emojis

This week in class we discussed computer mediated communication (CMC). CMC is simply defined as any human communication that occurs through the use of two or more electronic devices. CMC has basically become the standard of communication over the past years. I know this to be true especially for me because I always have my phone in my hand texting, tweeting, or calling someone. And as technology advances, this will most likely become the reality for many other people. My favorite aspect of communicating through technology, especially through Instagram, Texting, and Twitter, is the use of emojis. Emojis are picture characters that people use to relay a feeling or emotion in CMC outlets. I feel that emojis make the experience of tweeting and texting more personable and funny. I actually find myself being annoyed with people who either don’t use emojis or people who are not “emoji literate”.

In my search for an article for this blog entry, I came across an article titled “7 Reasons to Use Emoticons in Your Writing and Social Media, According to Science”. The article explains why emojis are good to use in everyday life by listing 7 reasons and explaining those reasons through research. The reasons that were listed in the article are:

1. They make you more popular on social media
2. We react to them like we would real human face
3. They’re OK even in business settings!
4. They soften the blow of a critique
5. They make you appear more friendly and competent
6. They create a happier workplace
7. They correlate with real-life happiness

While I do agree that emojis are important to CMC, there are some reasons listed in the article that I personally disagree with. I do agree with the claim that emojis make you popular on social media. As I previously stated, I really hate when people don’t know how to properly use emojis or when they don’t use them at all, it really annoys me. Another reason I agree with is that react to emojis like we would with real human faces. My friends and I always respond to each other’s texts and tweets with just emojis. I think it’s really one of my favorite things to do. I always know exactly what emoji to use to describe my feelings. I do not agree with that the fact that emojis are OK in a business setting and that they make the workplace happier. I don’t feel that it emojis are appropriate for the workplace or businesses. I also think agree with the claim that emojis soften the blow of a critique. Whenever I’m being harsh with my friends I always try to throw an emoji into the text just to soften the blow. I also agree with the 7^th reason which states that emojis correlate with real-life happiness or emotions. If I use the “laughing emoji” I am probably laughing versus saying “lol” because I think I’m supposed to laugh. I really like the fun of emojis and I’ll continue to use them with friends and family and on social networks, but I’ll keep them from the workplace for now. 

https://blog.bufferapp.com/7-reasons-use-emoticons-writing-social-media-according-science