Gen Z are at it again — they’re here to take another thing millennials (and Gen X) hold dear, just because.
If you’re someone who’s had to change their hairstyle because Gen Z cancelled side fringes — or had to invest in a new wardrobe because the Zoomers said no to skinny jeans — you’ll understand where we’re coming from here.
Gen Z seems on a mission to cancel, change and question pretty much everything we’ve all been doing for years — and the humble thumbs up emoji is next up on the chopping block.
An OG emoji, the thumbs up is often used to signal agreement, particularly when a quick response is warranted — perhaps if a longer one is not needed or if you’re in a rush and just need to convey your thoughts or opinion.
In fact, it’s a completely positive way of communicating with friends, family, colleagues and other people. Or at least, it is for many people.
However, Gen Z are calling for an end to the use of this much-loved emoji, branding it as ‘hostile’.
In a Reddit post, that has since been deleted, a person shared their dislike of the emoji at work, asking if not liking the thumbs up emoji made them less of an adult.
As reported by Indy100, the Reddit user confessed that they found the emoji ‘unsettling’ as a response and that they preferred to acknowledge posts by team members with a heart instead.
And they weren’t the only one who felt this way, another Reddit post asks if people find the thumbs up emoji to be ‘rude, hostile, or blunt’.
A user known as Lady-Orpheus replied: ‘Usually no but it depends on the context. If I send someone a long text about something very intimate and possibly vulnerable, I’d be disappointed and possibly miffed about receiving a simple “👍”, yes.’
While SkyInTheCity wasn’t bothered, saying: ‘Not me, personally. I really just use it when I can’t think of anything to say lol. But I can see how it could come off that way.’
The debate has since kicked off across various other social media platforms, with Gen Z sharing their thoughts on the seemingly innocent emoji.
According to some TikToks, members of the Gen Z community say that it’s ‘frustrating’ because older generations ‘don’t understand the impact of what they be sending because they don’t understand the meaning of it’.
Others simply said that if you were still using a thumbs up emoji then it simply indicated your (‘old’) age and that you were ‘past it’, to be precise.
Gen X and millennials are hitting back at this, creating their own videos to turn the tables on Gen Z and ask the Zoomers and share their thoughts.
User @Kristina_4ever commented: ‘Imagine being so fragile that a simple thumbs up emoji causes your blood to boil…..’, while another user, @Crusader, said: ‘Confused millennial here. Thumbs up means good. What do they think it means?’
User @Eirahypnotherapy1 posed the questions in her own TikTok, receiving positive responses in the comments.
@KSY commented: ‘I’m a millennial & we bend for no one, they will get a thumbs up & like it’, while @AVPeverell said: ‘I think the thumbs up issue is a Gen Z thing’.
However, not every Millennial is bothered by Gen Z’s take on this, as some have replied saying they understand where the youngsters are coming from. A woman known only as Summer, added: ‘Thumbs up can come across as lazy and somewhat disrespectful.’
What do you think about it all? Let us know in the comments below.
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