#trending: Gen Z's claim that the 'thumbs up' emoji is passive-aggressive sparks heated debate on Reddit

SINGAPORE — The "thumbs up" emoji may very well be "cancelled" soon.

Some Gen-Zers on Reddit have claimed that the popular emoji comes off as condescending, “super rude” and even hurtful, and have called for it not to be used in any situation, particularly in professional settings.

A heated discussion on the appropriate use of the emoji was sparked by user “Dry_Interaction6220” who asked other users of the online forum if they, too, found the "thumbs up" emoji rather “unsettling”.

“Dry_Interaction6220” elaborated that colleagues tended to use the emoji when reacting to messages on Microsoft Teams. The user, on the other hand, preferred to use the "heart" emoji or reply with simple words of acknowledgement such as “Great!” or “Thanks!”.

A number of Redditors chimed in to agree.

One of them, “HuaAnNi”, claimed that the icon is typically used by “younger people” to be passive-aggressive and it is often given as a sarcastic response to people who are being rude or annoying on social media.

The 24-year-old user wrote: “It’s super rude if someone just sends you a thumbs-up.

“No one my age in the office does it, but the Gen X people always do it. Took me a bit (of time) to adjust and get (it) out of my head that it means they're mad at me."

Another user “SasiBan” agreed that the practice could make a work team seem unfriendly and disinterested. “My last workplace had a WhatsApp chat for our team to send information to each other and most of the people there just replied with a thumbs-up."

"I don't know why but it seemed a little bit hostile to me. Like an acknowledgement but kind of saying, 'I don't really care (or that) I'm not interested'?” this Redditor added.

However, other Reddit users, including some fellow Gen Zers, dismissed the claims as “utterly ridiculous”.

Many argued that a "thumbs up" was simply a short-form way of saying “okay”, “I agree” or “got it”.

One user wrote: “Texting a thumbs-up could be a quick response for someone who is busy, or just a response to a conversation without the need for a lengthy response.”

Another Redditor claimed that co-workers who are Gen Zers use the emoji the most. “‘Thumbs up’ is a good, versatile emoji and people should take a step back (to) realise, maybe, they’re reading too deeply into something,” this user said.

Another user, who claimed to be a Gen Zer and who uses the emoji “all the time”, said that this new interpretation had “weird arbitrary standards”.

The Reddit thread by “Dry_Interaction6220” was first published on Dec 16 last year, but gained renewed attention following an article by the New York Post on Wednesday (Oct 12).

Speaking to the news outlet, lifestyle and etiquette expert Elaine Swann advised against the use of emojis all around in the professional world in order to avoid misinterpretation.

“(Emojis) can be interpreted as disrespectful,” Swann said. “It can differ from generation to generation. Across the board, people want to know they’ve been heard and emojis do not convey that for everybody.” 

Business consultant Sue Ellson told British news outlet The Daily Mail in its women’s column Femail that words are always better than symbols in a professional setting. 

“Predictive systems can type a word like ‘Thanks’ in two clicks after a while," she said.

“It feels like people are too lazy to type a written response and it doesn't provide clarity as to next steps. Do you mean ‘yes I will do something’, ‘okay I agree’ or is it just confirmation that you received the message?” she added.

EMOJIS ONLY ‘OLD PEOPLE’ USE

In a poll that pointed to yet another generational divide and maybe even ageism, close to a quarter of 2,000 young people aged between 16 and 29 surveyed by Perspectus Global in Britain last year said that the "thumbs up" emoji was used only by people who were “ancient”.

Other emojis deemed uncool included the "check" emoji, the "poo" emoji, the "monkey with hands over face" emoji and the "clapping hands" emoji.

Here’s the full list:

1. Thumbs up 👍
2. Red heart ❤️ ️️
3. Okay 👌
4. Check mark ✔️
5. Poo 💩
6. Loudly crying face 😭
7. Monkey with hands over face 🙈
8. Clapping hands 👏
9. Kiss mark 💋