Asklemmy

I had this discussion with my wife a few weeks ago. She did that to a work colleague who took offense to it. I explained that that's because her colleague is about 8 years younger than us.

Basically, if the recipient is 35 and under, it's offensive. If they're 40 and older, it's not. Anywhere in between, look for context.

Usually

I'll reply with the all mighty answer:

It depends.

Depends on the people you are talking to I'd say.

It depends on the context

If I'm just looking for a confirmation that my message was received, and the plans need to additional modification, a thumbs up is sufficient.

If I ask something like "Wanna meet up at the bar after work today?" And get a thumbs up, that's sufficient. We know where we're going and when, no more discussion really needed.

If I ask "you free to grab a beer this weekend?" and I get a thumbs up, that's bullshit. When are you free to grab said beer? Where are we going for it? We have details that need to be hammered out.

Just like a curt "yes" or even "yes sir" can be seen as somewhat rude in some contexts, so to can its emoji equivalent.

Just make sure you don't use it, or fail to clarify and confirm the meaning of its use, in a business setting or you could be in some trouble.

Most of the time, yes.

The context will be more telling of if it's actually rude or not. There's a lot of chat software nowadays where you can "react" to a message with a thumbs up and people use it to acknowledge what was said.

Yes. It frequently comes across as passive aggressive or as if the person doesn't care.

I totally get you! Whenever I feel that it could be interpreted that way, I don't send the thumbs-up. I do use it though, but I try to be careful to avoid that misinterpretation.

Sounds like a you problem. An emoji is just that, context of usage defines it's meaning.

Definitely is a rude reply. Zero effort and sarcastic.

I think depending on your generation and language you speak it can have different meanings.