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Teenagers give thumbs up the thumbs down
It didn’t surprise me to read about youngsters finding the ‘thumbs up’ emoji insulting (Issue 644, page 8). According to my teenage grandson, the world of emoji etiquette is complex and constantly evolving. He said that you should never send the ‘crying with laughter’ face because it could be seen as an inappropriate response. Apparently, youngsters prefer the skull emoji (pictured below) to illustrate amusement.
I have no idea why. He also advised me to avoid the hand-clap emoji because it’s seen as sarcastic.
But the biggest faux-pas you can make when texting a teenager is ending a sentence with a full stop. This tells the recipient that the conversation is over, and you don’t desire a reply. For this reason, it’s considered rude. Our illuminating chat made me grateful that I hardly ever use my phone, and that it’s been six decades since I was a teenager.
Roy Chaplin