Most people just throw emojis into text boxes without thinking. If you’re a wallflower like me, hanging out at the edge of the room just feels easier (safer even). Face-to-face? Ugh… it makes me nervous, sometimes to the point where I clam up entirely. But those weird little pictures (emojis!), they get me into conversations I’d probably bail on otherwise.
Finding my place online
I feel way more at home online than in person. Although I love dropping a perfectly timed gif with friends or coworkers, most of the time I stick to emojis. I once sent a bunch of celebratory emojis to a writer friend who got their first story published (the party popper, the confetti ball, the whole deal) and they told me it totally made their day. That’s when I realized… these tiny pictures can help us connect. From goofing off with friends on Discord to dissecting an article with coworkers on Slack, I get to let out pieces of myself that don’t always come through in real life.
Showing my personality at work
I write for a living and while I love words and the power they wield, emojis let me show humor and excitement without overthinking. It’s how I show enthusiasm without losing my mind trying to conjure up the perfect sentence.
When a coworker shares a little win on Slack, I’ll just toss in the dancing parrot emoji. Seeing that parrot bob its head over and over is exactly the kind of enthusiasm I want to convey. It’s playful without overdoing it.
Being my weird self on Discord
Discord is where I can let my quirks and humor shine, and also where friends truly see me. Every now and then I’ll joke around with friends using a middle finger emoji (we like to lovingly roast each other) or cheer with a hands-raised emoji when my husband shares a thing we mutually love (pretty much anything Lord of the Rings-related). I enjoy being seen for who I am.
In fact, some of my closest friendships run on emojis. A silly little chain of emojis can be funnier than a whole paragraph or it can show someone I’m rooting for them without even saying a single word. It’s sort of amazing what a tiny picture can do. That said, work spaces are weirder to navigate.
Emojipedia
Work chats can be intimidating, full stop. There’s this weird line between being professional and being your real self. That’s why emojis help–they don’t put me on the spot the same way writing a long message would. Even just a thumbs-up can show I’m backing someone without going overboard. They just make things a bit lighter.
Sometimes they even work as little icebreakers. Honestly, one emoji can get way more of a reaction than anything I’d type, or just let someone know I’m rooting for them from wherever I am. Stuff like that actually matters and it makes socializing way less scary.
I’ve also learned what happens when emojis are missing. Once I sent a plain “Thanks” in a work chat and realized later it came off kind of cold. If I’d just tossed in a smiling face, it probably would’ve landed differently. Emojis aren’t foolproof, they can definitely get misread, but most of the time they soften my words in a way text alone just… doesn’t.
Why emojis matter to the introverts in the crowd
I never figured these little pictures could carry so much. One emoji can make someone grin, show support, or just quietly say you care.
Honestly, they let me express who I am in these little, weird ways. They can be sarcastic, awkward, silly… you name it. Somehow, they say what I can’t always get out of myself. I used to think connection had to be big and loud to matter, but the quiet stuff counts too. A dancing parrot on Slack, a party popper for a friend—it all builds something real.
Author: Ashley Biancuzzo, Associate Editor, PCWorld
Ashley Biancuzzo manages all laptop and Chromebook coverage for PCWorld. She's been covering consumer tech since 2016, and her work has appeared on USA Today, Reviewed, Polygon, Kotaku, StarWars.com, and Nerdist. In her spare time, she enjoys playing video games, reading science fiction, and hanging out with her rescue greyhound.