Smileys were created in the 1970s thanks to a French journalist, Franklin Loufrani. Fifty years later, they took the form ofvirtual emojis which are now at the heart of our days. These emoticons slip into our SMS conversations, our emails or even our publications on social networks. Emojis bring additional subtlety to communication, represent an emotion or fill a feeling, failing to write it down.
Sometimes sincere, sometimes ironic, emojis can be a real mystery for generations who did not grow up with. It must be said that Generation Z has its own language and codes, such as the crying emoji or the skull emoji to illustrate a funny situation. A study American scientist was interested in the use of emojis by different generations, and more particularly by seniors. According to researchers’ observations, our elders would like to use emojis more but would not do so for a very specific reason.
The reasons why seniors use fewer emojis
American scientists have wondered why older adults are often reluctant to use emojis in their conversations. To try to answer this question, a team from the University of Ottawa examined intergenerational use of emojis among adults over 60. Concretely, the scientists studied the influence of age on the use of emojis and analyzed the potential mediators of the relationship between age and the use of emojis. In order to better understand this cause and effect relationship, they measured emoji adoption : the frequency of use, the diversity, the ease of interpretation and finally the precision of the interpretation. To carry out their research, the team analyzed data from 240 people, aged 18 to 80.
Once their analysis was completed, the scientists observed that older people were less inclined to use emojis, among other things. “We found that older users are less likely to use emojis, use fewer emojis, and feel less confident in their ability to interpret emojis“, commented the main author of the study, Isabelle Boutet, associate professor at the School of Psychology at the University of Ottawa. According to the scientist, the conclusions of the study suggest that “reduced accuracy in interpreting emojis is not not the cause of these age-related effects“.
Use emojis to communicate better and escape loneliness
The researchers also noticed that the emoji representing the surprise proved to be the most difficult for seniors to interpret, followed by the one representing joy. According to the findings, users perceive emojis as difficult to usewould have little confidence in their ability to use them and would be less likely to use technologies where emojis are omnipresent. For the authors, these results mean that seniors have the motivation and ability to use emojis, but the problem is that they lack confidence and expertise.
In a press release, author Isabelle Boutet emphasizes that promoting the use of emojis for seniors can contribute to reduce loneliness and help users of all ages to achieve their goals, both social and emotional. Thus, she suggests simpler emoji menus and the establishment of training for existing community programs. Conversely, as Pierre Halté, linguist, pointed out in the columns of newspaper Mariannesome seniors tend to use emojis excessivebecause they “are intrigued and seek to get hold of it“As for the elderly, many use them for “have fun with these signs because they are fun“, he clarified.
Sources:
- Are older adults adapting to new forms of communication? A study on emoji adoption across the adult lifespan – Computers in Human Behavior Reports
- Older adults want to express themselves with emojis, they just don’t understand how to – University of Ottawa
- “They are trying to get hold of it”: why this curious fascination of seniors with emojis? – Marianne