BB Grey–musings

Daily writing prompt

What are your favorite emojis?

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Truth be told, I’m not a fan of emojis. Sure, they’re quick, snappy, and sometimes hit the mark for both sender and receiver. But let’s be real—when they miss, they miss. Back in the day (yep, dusting off my ancient credentials here), we’d pick up the phone, swing by someone’s house, or entrust our heartfelt words to the Pony Express. Then came cell phones, emails, and the whole “ponies are out, efficiency is in” vibe. Life’s easier now, right? Well, not quite. We’ve traded one tether for another—5G, Starlink, and soon enough, you’ll be texting from your lunar vacation. But I digress.

Emojis, these little digital hieroglyphs, try to replace actual words, and I’m drawing a hard line here (lol). I want to say what I mean and mean what I say, without playing roulette with misinterpretation. Even with the best prose and a vocabulary sharper than a tack, communication’s a gamble. I took a college course called “The Philosophy of Language” (sand through the hourglass, folks—college is a blur), and one thing stuck: before you can argue or agree on anything, you’ve got to agree on the tools—words. Words have to align before sentences can, and sentences before ideas. But we often get hung up on meanings before we even reach the sentence stage.

Emojis? They’re like skipping the whole process, presuming they can sum up sentences, paragraphs, even entire stories in one tiny icon. Handy for saving time? Maybe. But what happens when they’re misread? A misplaced can demoralize someone, and if the sender’s off-grid, that confusion festers. I once sent a lengthy, serious email to a client, sweating bullets all day waiting for a reply. No call, no meeting—just a single response at day’s end: LOL. I was floored. Was she saying, “No biggie, we’ll sort it out”? Or, “Are you kidding me? Is this a prank?” Maybe, “Welcome to my chaotic world.” It was a masterclass in ambiguity, a hook to gauge my reaction. Point is, emojis can be destructive. They’re shortcuts that sometimes short-circuit meaning.

So, my favorite emoji? None. I’ll stick to words—they’re messy, but at least they’re mine.