Emojis as social hand grenades: a consultant explains how they fall through generation gaps
What seems friendly to one person can come off as offensive or confusing to another — especially across age groups.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/05/07/emojis-as-social-hand-grenades-a-consultant-explains-how-they-fall-through-generation-gaps
Spark your senses, wake your wonder. Euronews Culture seeks to show creativity in action and inspire our audience to explore the world through the five senses. Start your journey through the best of Europe's arts, gastronomy, traditions and high-end craftsmanship.
What seems friendly to one person can come off as offensive or confusing to another — especially across age groups.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/05/07/emojis-as-social-hand-grenades-a-consultant-explains-how-they-fall-through-generation-gaps
Spark your senses, wake your wonder. Euronews Culture seeks to show creativity in action and inspire our audience to explore the world through the five senses. Start your journey through the best of Europe's arts, gastronomy, traditions and high-end craftsmanship.
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00:00They may be small and seemingly harmless, but emojis can carry more weight than you might guess,
00:08sometimes acting like digital social hand grenades.
00:13While some might see an emoji as friendly or funny, another might find it confusing or even offensive.
00:21To explore this further, passers-by in Reykjavik were asked to interpret a selection of emojis.
00:29Some found certain emojis joyful, while others thought it expressed sadness.
00:35What do you feel about this?
00:40To be angry or angry?
00:45I would like to smile if this would be a mistake.
00:49Even the classic smiley face isn't always a safe territory.
01:10Even the classic smiley face isn't always a safe territory.
01:19The degree of a smile and the shape of the emoji's mouth can send subtly different signals.
01:25The exercise showed that in the world of digital communication, meaning isn't fixed and that
01:31even the simplest symbols can speak volumes.