There are hundreds of emojis to choose from with new faces and additions each year - but some of them are now considered to only be used by 'old' people or those who are 'out of touch'. According to Generation Z - the demographic cohort succeeding Millennials - they argue the thumbs-up emoji is the wors t - and claim it's even problematic when used in the workplace as they consider it 'passive aggressive' and 'confrontational'.
But there's a whole host of other faces and icons that are considered outdated, with the younger generation branding them 'out of date'. A 24-year-old on Reddit sparked a debate about the use of emojis, which has had many Millennials and Baby Boomers now rethink their own usage.
Taking to Reddit to share their view, the anonymous twenty-something wrote: "No one my age in the office does it, but the Gen X people always do it. Took me a bit to adjust and get out of my head that it means they're mad at me".
Another agreed that the thumbs-up emoji had negative connotations, writing: "My last workplace had a WhatsApp chat for our team to send info to each other on and most of the people on there just replied with a thumbs up.
"I don't know, but it seemed a little bit hostile to me."
But those workers in their mid-thirties or older explained how they were comfortable using the thumbs-up icon.
"Why do you feel like it's unsettling? Honest question... because that's literally how I respond to 90% of messages... I'm almost 40 though," one person wrote.
Another is a staunch fan of the 'all good' icon, saying: "I love it because it means many many things. It means 'I approve' or 'I understood and will obey' or 'I agree'.
"If anything, my only objection would be that some days it might be hard to tell which one it means. But it is generally pretty clear."
While a poll on the platform (from 2,000 people aged between 16 and 29) stated the thumbs-up emoji was the most difficult to interpret, a few others missed the mark too.
Top 10 emojis that show your age
These are the top 10 emojis that apparently make you 'look old':
Thumbs up
Red love heart
OK hand
Green tick
Smiling poo
Loud crying face
Monkey covering eyes
Clapping hands
Lipstick kiss mark
Grimacing face
While these findings may leave some people baffled, business consultant Sue Ellson told the Mail that it could be time for older generations to rethink their emoji use.
Commenting on the reason Gen-Z colleagues get offended by the thumbs-up emoji, Sue says that using the icon without any other words or context is where the issue comes in, understanding how people could be threatened or disillusioned by the 'all good' icon.
"It feels like people are 'too lazy' to type a written response and it doesn't provide clarity as to next steps," she says.
"Do you mean yes I will do something, okay I agree or is it just confirmation that you received the message."
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