Thums-up emoji has long been a prominent place of digital communication. It is understood simple, clear and widely. Whether you are confirming the time of a meeting, agreeing to a plan, or accepting a message just at work or daily life, the Thums-up emoji has served as a friendly, skilled response. In professional settings, it may indicate a quick agreement without the requirement of additional words. Between family and friends, it is often used to express encouragement or simply to say “found.”
But while the intended meaning of emoji seems straightforward, not everyone sees it in the same way, especially in different age groups.
General Z with sadness-up emoji
For millenniums and boomers, the thums-up emoji still feels like a casual, humble method for approval or indication of agreement. But for many people in General Z, the same emoji reads differently, sometimes rude, dismissal, or even passive-aggressive.
On platforms such as Reddit, Gen Z users openly shared their discomfort with emoji, “(Thums-up emoji) <---- Do you find it passive-committed?
It does this for me, and I don’t know why! I do not remember if it has always been felt like this, or if it is a more recent development. “I doubt that anyone means anything negative by it, but I react to it as if it is an insult, even when it is” Okay, meet at 5! ” (It is clearly not a great response, says, about a 5 paragraph essay about how I love you or something like that, but I don’t think I have ever received it as a reaction to something like this). ,
For some, it is not about emoji, but there is an alleged tone behind it. A bare thumb, especially in response to emotional or weak messages, may feel like a sudden dismissal. It is small, lacks heat, and does not invite further interactions.
Re -preparing reactions in a digital age
Another user noted his struggle to resume his thinking, “Yes, it seems very aggressive to me. I only use it with my parents because they think it is normal and well … We are disconnecting emotionally that most emojis are also out of the picture.” Another couple, “
This seems to be passively aggressive to me, and so I never use it. I would usually say “fine cool”.
So Ive was trying to resume my mind around it. I don’t know why it thinks for me! But I had to tell myself that “Okay why your colleagues would be inactive when you said that you are going on a break? He is using emoji’s thumb just as a thumb. This typing is smaller than typing ‘Ok Laga Hai’ and now it (usually) does not bother me.
Others still love it, or at least understand it
However, not everyone feels the same, “Aww I love that emoji.
Some recognize its humor or exaggerated use (“Thums-up”) as fickle, even permanent. But as another user said, “Yes, it feels very passive-aggressive to me. I only use it with my parents because they think it is normal and well … We are disconnecting emotionally that most emojis are also out of the picture.”
Another couple, just expanding discomfort beyond the thumb, “I think it seems about any communication that seems bare minimum.”
Emoji etiquette is developing
Like the language, the way we use emoji continues to change over time and with each generation. Once a cheerful shorthand can be felt that can now carry unexpected emotional weight. Thums-up emoji is not bad, but depending on reference, audience and relationship, it can be worth thinking twice before sending.
So, the next time you woo your audience when you woo to respond with a quick thumb. Sometimes a little additional text, like “feels good!” Or “Cool, then meet!” All differences can be made.