Emoticons serve as “a warning about the over-stimulation that occurs on digital platforms,” but their use differs between generations, according to Pavel Sidorenko, an expert on new narratives and technologies in journalism.
Heard by Efe, Pavel Sidorenko, a professor of digital marketing at the International University of La Rioja (UNIR), says that emojis can “bring more visibility to a message, regardless of the communication process, be it journalism, marketing or advertising.”
However, he points out that there are differences in the use of this type of resource by different generations.
“In our day-to-day communication process, we are always trying to reinforce our message with body facial expressions,” said Sidorenko, who has defended that, in some cases, Generation Z youths born between late 1990 and 2010 are “reconsidering the use of emoji.”
In other words, he points out, these young people have reimagined emoji, but not as a pictographic resource that is actively involved in their conversations, as they use more, for example, a “sticker”.
“However, emoji are part of a more mainstream conversation for previous generations,” emphasizes the expert, who notes that emoji “are part of this ecosystem of pictographic resources like ‘gif’ and ‘sticker’.
In his opinion, “each generation appropriates this or that resource. For example, GIF is very discredited by Generation Z.” However, Pavel believes that emojis will continue to be present and used, despite the fact that, in general, young people of Generation Z “contempt with contempt for everything that comes from behind.”
“This is a segment that wanted to stand out from the rest, and if everyone uses emojis, they won’t use them,” and “if everyone talks on WhatsApp, they will use another resource, like direct messages on Instagram,” he elaborated.
For previous generations, emojis were used for what they are, i.e. as “an improvement on expression in a message that could not otherwise be conveyed to the written word”.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.