Daily hacks: Five ways emojis could improve your comms

Whether it’s on social networks, in messages or in emails, the use of emojis is now firmly rooted in our daily lives. If you’re not yet fully convinced of their benefits, here are five reasons that are sure to convince you to add these smiley (and not so smiley) faces to your messages 😉

Emojis are everywhere. These little pictograms are found all over the web. Faced with this ongoing success, Adobe has unveiled the results of its new report “Adobe’s Future of Creativity: 2022 U.S. Emoji Trend Report,” after analyzing the behavior of 10,000 emoji users worldwide, including 5,000 users in the US.

The study details the reasons Americans use emojis in their messages. “Emojis give people the resources they need to be able to express themselves and show their emotions, whether it be on social media or messaging apps.

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They allow people to convey more than just words on a screen and connect more deeply to others,” said Kamile Demir, computer scientist at Adobe and Adobe representative to the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee.

1 – Because it makes you cool

According to the study, the use of emojis in messages apparently make people seem cooler, friendlier and even funnier — or so think 73% of US users polled.

2 – To bring a touch of lightness to a conversation

It’s often said that a picture is worth a thousand words. Indeed, emojis allow you to quickly share an emotion without using words. As such, using emojis could promote better communication. For 91% of US users, a well-chosen emoji brings a touch of lightness to sometimes difficult conversation.

Using these little pictures can also boost the mental health of users, according to 60% of US respondents. Plus, the majority of US emoji users (88%) report that they are more likely to feel empathetic toward someone if they use an emoji.

3 – For seduction

In the age of dating sites (or “Date Me” Google Docs), emojis are proving to be very useful in creating an emotional connection. For Paul D. Hunt, typeface designer & font developer at Adobe, “using emoji is a sign of emotional intelligence. It demonstrates you are able to be vulnerable and wear your heart on your sleeve.”

But be careful to choose the right emojis when it comes to seduction. According to the report, the “kisses,” “smiley face with hearts” and “heart eyes” emojis are the top choices when it comes to flirting and dating.

However, it is, unsurprisingly, better to avoid the “eggplant,” “angry face” and “poop” emojis. The study revealed that 32% of Generation Z users have already broken up with their partner with the use of an emoji.

4 – To improve co-worker relations

With the rise of remote working, office relationships have been turned upside down. According to the study, emojis have the ability to bring colleagues together despite the distance.

For 69% of the US respondents, emojis have a positive impact on likability and can even help people share ideas quickly (79%), to speed up team decision-making (62%) and boost creativity (58%).

“One of the challenges of hybrid work is that it can be harder to interpret written communication from our coworkers without that face to face interaction. Emoji are a great way to mitigate potential misunderstandings — a quick smiley face on the end of your message can go a long way,” explains Kamile Demir.

5 – To promote inclusivity

The issue of representation is also important in the world of emojis, with a drive for greater inclusivity, equity and diversity, to better include users from all over the world. For 71% of US respondents, their use helps foster positive discussions about cultural and societal issues.

Yet, there is still a long way to go, since 83% of US users agree that emojis “should still offer more representation.”

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