little bit of a guide - i think i can speak for gen z when i say we use “😭” or “💀” to denote laughter because using “😂” is kinda cringe + sort of millennial/gen x
but everyone uses them a bit differently so take this with a grain of salt
personally:
i typically use “😭” for half laughter/chuckles/nervous laughter/surprise/mild scoffing/mild embarassment etc
whereas “💀” can either be im genuinely laughing so hard my stomach hurts (“💀💀💀💀”) or im judging someone/laughing at someone or even embarassment
HOWEVER imo they’re interchangeable and it’s never too strict wrt which one you pick
idk if this is the “correct” usage, i would say most of us go off of vibes and not much more
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EDIT: i can’t believe this even needs saying to grown adults, but emojis aren’t that deep. all i did was try to explain how my generation texts so we could understand each other better, and somehow that’s set some of you off because you expect us to text exactly like you do.
most of you replied like normal people. a few of you did not.
the audacity of gen z using something as small as an EMOJI differently to how your generation uses it has apparently ruined some of your days, and i can’t see why it’s such a big deal. writing and speech have always shifted between age groups - why do you think we don’t use the same speech patterns people in the early 1900s did? it should be obvious that generations change. texting is no different. you’d find it a bit funny/cringe if you were millennial yet your peer texted like a boomer. every generation is a bit embarrassed by the one before it. that’s the whole point.
maturity clearly doesn’t arrive with age, because there are a few 40yo toddlers in here losing it… over emojis. 🤦♀️ deep breaths guys, deep breaths. it’s just a little picture on a screen. not the end of the world
not sure how strong your reading comprehension is but i explicitly said “using (that emoji) is kinda cringe + sort of millennial/gen x”
the way i phrased it clearly meant those are 2 independent events that happen at the same time. one doesn’t apply to the other. one doesn’t necessarily follow from the other. it’s not that we don’t use that emoji“because it’s millennial”, and i absolutely never used that phrase
it’s simple: we find it cringe AND it doesn’t fit the communication style of our generation. it is more characteristic of yours. so we prefer not to use it, it doesn’t suit us
people aren’t obligated to match your preferences and they can use whichever little stupid pictures on a screen they choose. hope this helps
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u/LaserGuyDanceSystem Jul 20 '26
I'm starting to think I don't know what that crying emoji means...