Emojis are being used more and more to express emotions. The question that needs to be answered is 'Are we really expressing our emotions?' I get an emoji sent to express I love you, sympathy, joy, sadness, uncertainty, anger, and indecision. Where are the human element, the nonverbal cues, and voice tone/inflection? How do I know what is really being expressed?
According to Dr. Albert Mehrabian, 93 percent of communication is nonverbal. How much are we really missing?
It is hard enough to understand what people are communicating when we have verbal and non-verbal cues together. Have emojis become the new non-verbal cues that replace eye contact, gestures, inflections, dress, proximity and plays an important role in determining our understanding of a person’s meaning? I truly hope not because I am already struggling to interpret what’s being communicated.
Missed Opportunity
A few weeks ago, I got an emoji that I did not know how to respond to. Were they really crying or just kidding? I avoided responding hoping I would get something else or another emoji but the opportunity was lost. Later I realized that the person really wanted a response but I missed the non-verbal cue and I was somewhat afraid or did not really knowing how to respond. Some people would say you should have reached out and others would say they should have communicated better.
I love a quick response but I really want to know what emotions are being expressed. If I
know what emotion (not emoji) you are expressing, I can respond appropriately. That is why #emotionsmatter!!!
Comentários