In addition to this, emojis can act as a "code word" for the same circle or intergenerational group. New media scholar Prof. Peng Lan once wrote that emojis can be used as labels to separate generations and groups. The closer the conversation or the more like-minded people are, the more specific and vivid the emojis are, which explains why emojis are less often used by subordinates to their superiors or by juniors to their elders. It's as if older people don't understand young people bouncing around, and young people don't understand older people dancing in the square, as different groups have their own code words and cultural symbols.
Young people often use emoticons with flirtatious, sarcastic or playful colors, while middle-aged and elderly emoticons are known for their quietness, peacefulness and positive energy, which also creates a difference in the perception of the same emoticon among different generations. For example, middle-aged and old-aged groups generally consider the "smile" emoji in WeChat to be a kind of happy smile, but young people consider it to be a fake smile with a sense of mockery and condescension because it is the same line of sight as emoji such as "sad" and "goodbye". But young people think it's a fake smile with a sense of mockery and condescension, because it's the same as the "sad" and "goodbye" emojis, which are downward-focused and look like smiles that show off repressed emotions.
The emoji, as a kind of online subculture, also represents young people's pursuit of a hip lifestyle. Emoticons do not exist in isolation, and are often associated with current social hotspots or Internet buzzwords. For example, the recently popular "inward roll", "lie flat", "emo" and "yyds" have all been made into Witty and funny emoticons have been created, which to some extent reflect the current attitude of young people. Network technology has empowered youth groups, and every netizen can participate in the production and sharing of emoticons, which are graphic symbols with subcultural attributes that have to a certain extent dissolved the serious way of discourse. For example, many college students have had the experience of photographing their teachers' lecturing manner and making them into emoticons. Transmitting the teacher's emoticons in the course WeChat group not only enlivens the atmosphere of the virtual community, but also brings teachers and students closer together.
However, we can't ignore the power of words when embracing emoticons. Because the content of emoticons and the process of decoding are both irrational and uncertain, they can easily cause misunderstanding and bias in communication between the two sides. Whether it is static pictures or video interceptions, emoticons can only be considered a shallow and fragmented expression, is an auxiliary means of online interpersonal communication, is far from being able to replace the language or text communication in the deep thoughts and true feelings. After all, the real purpose of human communication is to better realize the two sides of the heart.