The study conducted by the University of Ottawa has discovered that most Gen Xers and baby boomers are not confident using the wide array of emojis available for use. 

“We found that older users are less likely to use emojis, use fewer emojis, and feel less comfortable in their ability to interpret emojis,” Isabelle Boutet, lead author of the study, said in a statement. 

The study published in Computers in Human Behavior Reports highlighted that the emoji movement gained momentum in the United States in 2011 after Apple added the official emoji keyboard. 

Researchers investigated eight emojis: three ‘happy’ ones, two ‘sad’ ones, two centred on surprise and one on anger. 

Participants between the ages of 18 and 80 were shown each emoji in a random order. 

The participants then were asked to rate the intensity of each emoji. 

The study revealed that the most difficult emoji for older adults to interpret was the surprised ‘wide eyes’ emoji, also known as the ‘flushed’ emoji. The emoji has a blushed face with wide eyes open and eyebrows raised. 

The second most difficult emojis for older adults to interpret were the emojis centred on happiness. 

“This pattern of results leads us to conclude that older users have the motivation and ability to utilise emojis, but they lack the confidence and general technology expertise needed to adapt to this mode of communication,” Boutet added. 

“Software developers could consider modifying existing emoji menus to facilitate their use across generations by, for example, making unambiguous emojis which older users are able to interpret more easily.

“Training interventions should also be incorporated into existing community-based programs to help older users to incorporate emojis in their online interactions.”