What students think about the top emoji trends from 2021
While many things changed over the past two years, like remote learning, working from home, and other pandemic safeguards, the way we connect with others online remained the same. According to the New York Times, 9 out of 10 of this year’s most used emojis are the same as those from 2019. And the tears of joy “😂” emoji prevailed as the most used emoji, even in another year that saw many hardships and uncertainties.
Showing Your Age Through Emojis
It’s true that people across all ages use emojis, and research shows that 68% of people receive at least one message with an emoji each day. This commonality allows us to connect with friends and family in meaningful ways. But teachers trying to engage with students on their level should watch out for the emojis that show their age. Students tell us that the most used emoji “😂” and even the simple heart emoji “❤️” show that you’re “officially old.”
A Common Language
Not only can we use emojis to communicate in texts or on social media, but we can use them in the classroom, too! In fact, according to PBS for Parents, research shows that using emojis during lessons helps students better understand what they learned. The pandemic and shift to online learning made this approach more relevant than ever. Emojis allow students to express their feelings behind their screens (or their masks) through a more fun, accessible, and visual way. This helps students explore their emotions while simultaneously reinforcing the practice of mindfulness.
Express Yourself
Emojis provide us with a great tool to express ourselves and our emotions when communicating online. Recently, we surveyed our student ambassadors to give us some insight on their emoji use. They told us that they use emojis when texting their friends to express their feelings, but also use them to get hidden messages across. For example, “💅” doesn’t mean painting nails, but instead means that you’re feeling sassy.
Our student ambassadors also revealed that they use emojis to convey almost any emotion! The simple red heart or tears of joy emoji emphasize love or happiness expressed in a text, though they suggest using “💕” or “💀” to show love or laughter these days. They use “😜” or “🤦♀️” to express silliness. And students like to use “💪” or “🙌” to encourage and support each other.
Emojis also reduce unintended ambiguity in a message. Sometimes it’s hard to read sarcasm or humor from a text, but by adding “😉” to the end of the text you automatically lighten the tone of the message.
Connecting With Students
Emoji use is just one way that social media and tech are influencing students’ lives. Discover what else you should know about social media and how it affects student well-being to connect with students on their level.