# Emojis: scourge on society, or a threat to all we hold dear? **URL:** \ **Category:** Not Games\ **Created:** [20 May 2020 22:36 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095 "2020-05-20T22:36:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![chrislear](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/chrislear/32/1133_2.png) [@chrislear](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/chrislear)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 06:40 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/107 "2020-05-22T06:40:00Z")
It’s amazing how effectively people can communicate with incredibly limited vocabulary. There is clear difference in international dialect even in the use of car horns. Considering that the “speaker”'s only options are duration and frequency of pressing the steering wheel, that’s remarkable. No wonder emojis are so expressive, and also so easy to misunderstand. I don’t know of an emoji that operates as much like a shibboleth as ‘lol’ does in the world of tlas, but such shibboleths probably exist. ---
**Author:** ![RogerBW](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/rogerbw/32/3_2.png) [@RogerBW](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/RogerBW)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 08:45 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/108 "2020-05-22T08:45:41Z")
> [@chrislear](#): > > I don’t know of an emoji that operates as much like a shibboleth as ‘lol’ does in the world of tlas, but such shibboleths probably exist. Well, everyone who saw a trailer for _The Emoji Movie_ knows about 💩 and I suspect that it is _very_ over among people who think of things as over. (I thought the trailer was very clear, but apparently it didn’t do its job, and some people actually bought tickets for the film.) > [@Brattyjedi](#): > > I have a sudden urge to try to construct my own set of board game based puzzles [like the rebus ones people solved over here](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/board-game-based-puzzles/1023) but using only emoji. I believe there was something like that on the old forum, though I’ve forgotten who did it. I don’t think one could represent the names directly, but more the ethos of the game. So perhaps something like 👨‍🌾🐑🐄🌽💸 (it’s very handy to have hover text…) ---
**Author:** ![bruitist](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/bruitist/32/31788_2.png) [@bruitist](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/bruitist)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 09:01 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/109 "2020-05-22T09:01:17Z")
Speaking of display differences for emojis across platforms, I have a friend who likes to make little faces made up of different emojis, like this: 👁〰👁 However, when she does this on Facebook messenger, they come out horrifying thanks to the Facebook eye emoji looking like this: > **Under a cut to spare those who don't wish to see it** > > ![image](https://discussion.tekeli.li/uploads/default/original/2X/6/68b4d36b3aa547caa0e7c5c1fc040b6fc601571d.png) Which led to me creating this ultimate horror: > **The Facebook beholder** > > ![image](https://discussion.tekeli.li/uploads/default/original/2X/2/2fe3960c05b7f2f42b6bf6438dd62cfa5a58482e.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![felix](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/felix/32/1023_2.png) [@felix](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/felix)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 09:45 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/110 "2020-05-22T09:45:21Z")
I enjoyed this short tribute to the versatility of 👍 from a couple of years ago: > **[How the humble, all-purpose thumbs-up took over the world](https://www.wired.co.uk/article/thumbs-up-emoji-communication-business)** > > Of all the emoji that dominate online communication, it's the simple thumbs-up that's had the most profound impact > Obviously, sometimes it’s just ‘yes’ or ‘OK’, but very often it does something you can’t easily do with just a few words - it can say, for instance; “I have received your message, I don’t necessarily agree with it, but this conversation is now ended and I’m grateful for your participation’. ---
**Author:** ![BigJackBrass](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/bigjackbrass/32/4_2.png) [@BigJackBrass](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/BigJackBrass)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 11:09 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/111 "2020-05-22T11:09:38Z")
I do wonder how Internet users in South America, parts of Africa and the Middle East interpret the ubiquitous thumbs up, given that it’s not really a gesture you want to be using there. ---
**Author:** ![Cokho](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/cokho/32/1057_2.png) [@Cokho](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Cokho)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 11:20 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/112 "2020-05-22T11:20:50Z")
> [@RogerBW](#): > > I don’t think one could represent the names directly, but more the ethos of the game. So perhaps something like > > 👨‍🌾🐑🐄🌽💸 Agricola surely? 🕵️‍♂️ 👮 👮 👮‍♀️ 👮‍♀️ 🇬🇧🔍 👣 ❓ ❓ ---
**Author:** ![Benkyo](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/benkyo/32/1026_2.png) [@Benkyo](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Benkyo)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 11:35 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/113 "2020-05-22T11:35:53Z")
Scotland Yard? ---
**Author:** ![whswhs](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/whswhs/32/2794_2.png) [@whswhs](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/whswhs)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 11:54 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/114 "2020-05-22T11:54:46Z")
> [@Gwathdring](#): > > As someone over a decade into a long distance relationship and with my all my closest friends spread across the country, I find the capacity for nuance and flavor more important than superficial ease of understanding. It’s those moments of intimate, unspoken under standing that are hardest to experience in text–video is lovely where possible, but this sort of thing is indispensable to me in saying the unsayable, however light and frivolous that unsayable thing may be in isolation. On one hand, yes, I agree with that priority. But on the other hand, being linguistically oriented, I’ve worked very hard to develop the skill of saying such things in words, or at least of using words with nuance and flavor, both in speech and in writing, even though words, too, are fallible, as this very discussion illustrates. And on the gripping hand, when I first encountered emoticons, probably a couple of decades ago, I found it really hard to figure out what facial expression they were meant to represent, or what that signified, and the problem really isn’t helped much by the tiny blobs that emoji mostly come across as here; it’s like the old _Peanuts_ movies where _adult speech_ is represented by a “wanh wanh wanh” sound effect. (I’m not very good at expressions on _actual_ faces, either.) I have no wish to tell any of you not to use emoji. I’m just letting you know that if you’re trying to communicate with me specifically, via emoji, I probably won’t understand you, and if you use emoji together with words I’ll likely not even look at the emoji in the first place. This is my personal difficulty and if it makes it not worth your while to interact with me you’re under no obligation to do so. ---
**Author:** ![whswhs](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/whswhs/32/2794_2.png) [@whswhs](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/whswhs)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 11:56 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/115 "2020-05-22T11:56:38Z")
> [@felix](#): > > “I have received your message, I don’t necessarily agree with it, but this conversation is now ended and I’m grateful for your participation’. Back in the Mesozoic era when we had amateur press associations, we expressed that sentiment as RAEBNC (usually pronounced “ray-bunk,” with the accent on the first syllable). Or, well, mostly “we” was other people; if I used acronyms myself it was mostly ironically. But I certainly understood the meaning of “read and enjoyed but no comment.” ---
**Author:** ![chrislear](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/chrislear/32/1133_2.png) [@chrislear](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/chrislear)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 12:23 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/116 "2020-05-22T12:23:21Z")
> [@whswhs](#): > > RAEBNC (usually pronounced “ray-bunk,” with the accent on the first syllable) Love this. It’s made it to Urban Dictionary, though with just one published definition. Two upvotes and one down, since you ask. Not sure why it got a downvote TBH. Acronyms FTW. ---
**Author:** ![COMaestro](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/comaestro/32/1030_2.png) [@COMaestro](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/COMaestro)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 15:21 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/117 "2020-05-22T15:21:18Z")
Benkyo’s guess of Scotland Yard, or Letters from Whitechapel. ---
**Author:** ![RogerBW](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/rogerbw/32/3_2.png) [@RogerBW](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/RogerBW)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 16:09 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/118 "2020-05-22T16:09:08Z")
If there were just three police, _Whitehall Mystery_. One of the problems with emoji is the restricted set (presumably nothing the mobile phone companies thought would get them negative press). Another problem is cultural significance: if I say 🦑 do I mean a delicious thing to eat, oh no not shellfish again, Great Cthulhu writ small, or…? ---
**Author:** ![Scribbs](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/scribbs/32/21527_2.png) [@Scribbs](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Scribbs)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 16:15 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/119 "2020-05-22T16:15:19Z")
🐙 🙊 😱 I think unspeakable horror with the octopus is required to suggest Cthulhu ---
**Author:** ![whswhs](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/whswhs/32/2794_2.png) [@whswhs](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/whswhs)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 16:18 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/120 "2020-05-22T16:18:52Z")
> [@RogerBW](#): > > Great Cthulhu writ small It’s Tiny Cthulhu! ---
**Author:** ![Name1ess](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/name1ess/32/1524_2.png) [@Name1ess](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Name1ess)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 16:52 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/121 "2020-05-22T16:52:34Z")
> [@chrislear](#): > > It’s amazing how effectively people can communicate with incredibly limited vocabulary. I think what your describing is actually a [Pidgin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pidgin) with a very very limited [lexicon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexicon). This sort of thing has been around for ever and occurs when different groups of people need to communicate. It not a full language it’s just there to get the job done because of something important, normally like trade. Of the categories that fit I think the best one for emojis is that they are a form of [vernacular](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vernacular). By which I mean they are a ‘speech variety used in everyday life by the general population in a geographical or social territory’. It’s just in this case the social territory is actually a bit of the internet. For instance if we all accepted that 🕵️‍♂️ referrs to a game of Codenames then we are all using the same Vernacular. However another group on another forum could have an entirely different meaning attached. They act something like a pictorial Homonym. Blimey that got a lot more involved than I meant to get… ---
**Author:** ![Cokho](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/cokho/32/1057_2.png) [@Cokho](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Cokho)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 17:16 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/122 "2020-05-22T17:16:19Z")
It was Scotland yard ! Congrats @Benkyo 🏅 ---
**Author:** ![pillbox](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/pillbox/32/1031_2.png) [@pillbox](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/pillbox)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 17:25 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/123 "2020-05-22T17:25:32Z")
How about this one: 🚫🏝 Or a more difficult one: 🇫🇷 👨‍🌾 ⛪ ---
**Author:** ![Whistle\_Pig](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/whistle_pig/32/1052_2.png) [@Whistle\_Pig](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/Whistle_Pig)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 17:30 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/124 "2020-05-22T17:30:18Z")
Forbidden Island and… Orleans? ---
**Author:** ![pillbox](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/pillbox/32/1031_2.png) [@pillbox](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/pillbox)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 17:32 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/125 "2020-05-22T17:32:01Z")
> [@Whistle\_Pig](#): > > Forbidden Island 🏆 🥇 > [@Whistle\_Pig](#): > > Orleans? Hmm, definitely fits (and an example of the flaw in this sort of thing), but not what I was looking for. ---
**Author:** ![RossM](https://discussion.tekeli.li/user_avatar/discussion.tekeli.li/rossm/32/1021_2.png) [@RossM](https://discussion.tekeli.li/u/RossM)\ **Post date:** [22 May 2020 17:32 UTC](https://discussion.tekeli.li/t/emojis-scourge-on-society-or-a-threat-to-all-we-hold-dear/1095/126 "2020-05-22T17:32:41Z")
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