Do people actually use them like this? I'd assume its part of the joke, but then again I'm so old neither I nor my contacts use any emoji - we all "xD" and ":'D" each other like we did during the war I ought to tell you younglings about.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I'm a zoomer and I also thoroughly dislike emojis in most situations. Emoticons feel so much more personal c:

[–] [email protected] 8 points 10 months ago (1 children)

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago (1 children)

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

UwU what's this?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 10 months ago

That's the spirit! :)

[–] [email protected] 10 points 10 months ago (2 children)

I think "I'm so old" doesn't make the most sense as reasoning, considering that especially Boomers and old people are often famous for over-using emojis.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

It depends. Not using emoji is certainly a trait most often found in old people, it's just that very old people swing in the other direction.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

I guess it depends on how you define old and very old.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago

It's more of a missing middle. Boomers and some Gen x use emojis literally while Gen Z and some millennials use emojis ironically or humorously.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 10 months ago

I think it's those who didn't grow up in the internet age and came here much later. What Gretchen McCulloch calles "Pre Internet People" in her book Because Internet. Meaning they grow up before internet and were introduced to it much later. Think of boomers who get their first smartphone because their son in law is afraid they get lost in the forest or something. You get the vibes.

So I think in this case it is part of the joke, making fun of older conservatives

[–] [email protected] 4 points 10 months ago

My (very kind, sweet, wholesome) 70 year old boss at work uses a lot of emoji. Not to this extent, but more than one a text seems like a lot to me and he has used 4-5.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I use :) and :D really much (the former extremely much, like really in every second sentence). :( also sometimes. But there are also quite some Emojis I often use, especially 😅. And being on Discord, there are also many custom emotes like :KEKW: I frequently use.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 10 months ago (1 children)

I'll go on a limb and guess you're German?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 10 months ago (1 children)

Yes. How did you know?
My English in that comment wasn't very good, but I was really sleep deprived when I wrote it, sorry for that.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 10 months ago

Das kekw hat dich primär verraten, aber die anderen Smileys werden so gut wie nur von Deutschen benutzt. :D