How to stop yourself from using the wrong emoji at work

My editor Deb loves to ruin things.

One time she used her Ph.D. in Italian to ruin an entire emoji.

The emoji in question is a common Italian hand gesture that, roughly translated, means what the hell?

This isnt how our team was using it.

At some point, we collectively decided to use this emoji to mean perfection.

From what I can gather, people thought it represented kissing your fingertips, the way chefs sometimes do.

Dozens of people used the emoji this way until Deb pointed out the (hilarious) discrepancy.

And you know what?

Some people still use this emoji to mean perfection.

They will probably never stop.

That can lead to some awkwardness especially in a work context.

It’s free, every week, in your inbox.

Maybe dont wink at your coworkers

Consider the ?.

Theres a gulf in meaning here, just like with the Italian hand gesture.

And theres a lot of precedents here.

The winking emoticon ;) was used this way for decades on Usenet and IRC.

Its natural that internet veterans want to use ?

the same way today.

[Read:How much does it cost to buy, own, and run an EV?

Some people will reflexively interpret any and all ?

The best case is that youll come across as oblivious.

You might disagree with the second interpretation of ?, and thats understandable.

Its also kind of my point: were all interpreting emoji differently, and that can lead to confusion.

But its not everyone elses job to figure out what you mean.

Take it from a writer: you cant control how other people are going to interpret your message.

you’re able to only control what message you send in the first place.

To quote the philosopher Jeff Probst: Perception is reality.

My advice: avoid using ?

Other potentially confusing emoji

The wink is far from the only confusing emoji.

Here are a few other examples, off the top of my head:

?

So maybe keep that in mind.

There are a bunch of emoji, like ?, that have this same problem.

is officially named punch, but some people use it as a fist bump.

might look like excited jazz hands, but its officially named hugging face.

So maybe dont send it to anyone you wouldnt hug.

is sometimes used to express that two people are in sync.

to mean a high five or a thank you; others use it to mean prayer.

might just look like a bagel, but I recently learned that its offensive to New Yorkers.

I could go on.

The point is that emoji, like any symbols, have different meanings in different contexts.

Effective communication depends on understanding thatespecially when youre working remotely.

But thats not how it actually works.

What you actually said.

What your audience thinks you said.

Communication is the art of aligning these three things as closely as you’re able to.

If this sounds complicated, thats because it is.

Theres a reason robots are so bad at convincingly talking like a human person conversation is staggeringly complex.

There is so much nuance to every word choice and to every emoji choice.

But every once in a while, confusion creeps in, which is only natural.

Part of doing that online means understanding what emoji mean in various contexts.

If youre ever uncertain about something:

Ask your coworkers what they think emoji mean.

The more context you have the better.

If something is confusing to you, point it out!

Youre probably not the only one who is wondering.

There is no shame in Googling an emoji to learn more about its meaning in the broader culture.

Remember: were all making this up as we go along.

Theres no shame in not knowing.

Just make a run at keep learning.

He loves technology, people, and nature, not necessarily in that order.

you’re able to follow Justin:@jhpot.

You don’t have to.

But you’re able to.

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