By John Salak –
Emojis seem to be overtaking the world for just about everyone using digital communications—everyone but older adults that is. But the reason mature folks avoid plugging them in isn’t the stereotypical answer that they are unwilling or unable to adapt to this tech-medication interaction. Those over 60 may simply have a harder time understanding each particular emoji’s meaning, making them less confident to embed a smiley face design in a message, according to researchers from the University of Ottawa.
“We found that older users are less likely to use emojis, use fewer emojis and feel less comfortable in their ability to interpret emojis,” reported Isabelle Boutet, the study’s lead author and an associate professor at the university.
This reluctance may have unrecognized consequences. It may undermine the ability of older adults to communicate effectively, which could make them feel more isolated.
The university’s work is the first comprehensive investigation to study inter-generational emoji use, which allowed researchers to capture age and generation-related differences. The report comes as emoji development and use have exploded.
Admittedly, it may be hard for anyone to keep track of the expanding menu of emojis. There are currently about 4,000 Unicode ones in use and more are developed daily, covering an array of topics that can lead to multiple interpretations.
The use of these digital designs is also growing at a furious pace. Arma&Elma, a digital marketing company, reports that emoji use has increased by almost 800 percent in the last three years and that 92 percent of millennials stick at least one emoji in a post or message every day.
Ultimately, billions of emojis are used every day in tweets, Facebook posts and Messager notes, among other platforms, with Smiley Face and Tears of Joy emojis being among the most popular, Emojipedia.org reports.
This emoji onslaught that is driven by those under 25 left the Canadian researchers at a loss for why those over 60 shy away, especially when considering the vast majority of older adults are now fully engaged with digital communications—smart phones, Facebook, email, texting and even tweets.
The researchers relied on measured emoji adoption (frequency, diversity, ease of interpretation and interpretation accuracy) to understand how age influences emoji use. Apparently, it comes down to figuring out what exactly each emoji means. Mature adults find it difficult to grasp what these designs are supposed to communicate. Consequently, rather than risk saying the wrong thing, they avoid using them.
The emoji representing surprise—the graphic featuring the small yellow face looking speechless with its eyes wide open and eyebrows raised—proved to be the most difficult emoji to interpret for older adults. Happiness was the next most difficult to interpret.
The byproduct of this concern also means older adults are less likely to use technology where emojis are pervasive.
“This pattern of results leads us to conclude that older users have the motivation and ability to utilize emojis, but they lack the confidence and general technology expertise needed to adapt to this mode of communication,” says Boutet.
Despite these concerns breeding resistance, Boutet stressed it is important for older adults to use emojis for several reasons. It will facilitate intergenerational interactions, reduce loneliness and help users of all ages fulfill their social and emotional goals. Tech support may be needed to help them engage.
“Software developers could consider modifying existing emoji menus to facilitate their use across generations by, for example, making unambiguous emojis that older users can interpret more easily. Training interventions should also be incorporated into existing community-based programs to help older users incorporate emojis in their online interactions,” she added.
