Are We in the Process of Adapting a Universal Language called Emoji- Even in Business?





Are We in the Process of Adapting a Universal Language called Emoji- Even in Business? Date: Friday , June 05, 2015 California headquartered Avaamo offers SaaS for the development and delivery of mobile applications for enterprises and all included services therein. We are all now part of a digital generation. Some think that\'s a good thing while others might disagree. With the boom of text messaging, blogging, micro-blogging and social media, the current generation is evolving from communicating in 140 characters to actually thinking in 140 characters. It doesn\'t stop here, language evolves every day to suit communication needs in this digital age. Using an emoji to express an emotion instead of an entire sentence saves a lot of characters, doesn\'t it? Though a lot of critics would disagree and point out that it is the death of language, fact of the matter is that emoji has been incorporated into our everyday conversations. Using an emoji or two to get your sentiment or sentence across is the norm now. They are pictographic and expressive icons that have cropped up in all messaging platforms. Also, with the dearth of available icons, most folks identify with a set of emoji and find it easier to express an emotion which might otherwise be hard. However, the irony is that this communication method existed in our eco-system way back in the BC era. We use messaging apps in almost all walks of life now. When we think of the workplace, an instant message is slowly replacing email. Simply because of its real time feature and simplicity. Email will never die, but it might cease to be the primary mode to relate information. Are we really on a path to accepting a language with no words whatsoever? A language of emoji? Is it safe to say that business communication is also going through an emoji phase? Thinking the Business Emoji way In today\'s extremely cutthroat corporate world, everyone is inclined to communicating in a fashion that consumes less time but calls out effective messaging. Emoticons are well crafted to convey one\'s mind and thoughts in just one simple character. Say a team achieves a target or an employee of the month has been called out, from a \'thumbs up\' to \'jackpot\' or \'dollar\' Emoji; they are well understood. They are animations of human habits and emotions mostly useful for conveying various forms of reactions like achievement, excitement, happiness, bemusement and even frustration in a conversation. Corporates might believe that they are unprofessional. While it could be true in some industries, smiley faces and clinking beer mugs are entering work communication. They add a human touch to something that is otherwise considered to be an empty suit. Contrary to this, in certain situations when we try to manage conversations, an emoji serves as a passive aggressive tool that is not essentially rude, but gets the message across. And now, we are gradually floating towards the core of what emojis do well, needless to say that they speak better than language itself, at least in the rough-and-tumble digital world. An emoji after a particular negative feedback can also soften the blow. Employees would take it in their stride and might be more likely to makes changes asked of them. After all, a picture is worth more than a thousand words. The \'Instant\' Call Out The current cutting-edge generation demands everything to be available instantly. Whether its instant conversation, messaging, video streaming, transactions, recipes or even coffee we\'re always scouting for an opportunity to make things more instant. Emoji add that little personal touch to a digital conversation. It is the symbol that breaks the ice between two people interacting on a digital platform. In this mobile first world, our smart phone is the primary device that we use to converse with our family, friends, colleagues and acquaintance. The innovation called \'Emoticons\' is one of the latest trends that is widely used \'instantly\' to set an animated context. In the workplace, where most conversations happen digitally, we don\'t get the chance to share facial expressions and other nonverbal cues in our emails, they can sometimes be tougher to interpret. The addition of an emoji makes that message easier to interpret. Communication Gets More Quirky So, are we witnessing a transformation in the way we communicate? It is quite obvious that stickers and emoticons have become an important part of the way we prefer to communicate today.The emergence of a tech-literate generation has given new shades and color to our text less language. Emojis arecool, fun and quirky. They has developed as a kind of our \'digital face\' delivering the quick, image-led messaging mirrored in mobile apps. While an emoji in a professional mail might seem like something out of the textbook, developing emoji for businesses is the solution. Having work related Emoji to get the message across could lead to new age workplaces and employees would co-relate with real-life happiness, bringing a human touch to otherwise concrete jungles.