F2F Class Notes (Nemo) [R]

New research suggests that using smiley face emojis in work e-mails could jeopardize your career. Researchers from a university in Israel report that people inserting emojis in work-related mail are likely to be deemed stupid and incompetent. The researchers conducted experiments on 549 professionals from 29 different countries to gauge their reaction to emojis. The professionals had to “evaluate both the competence and warmth” of the e-mail writer. Dr Ella Glikson said: “Our findings provide first-time evidence that, contrary to actual smiles, smileys do not increase perceptions of warmth and actually decrease perceptions of competence.” She added: “In formal business e-mails, a smiley is not a smile.”

Other research has also shown that emojis are often misunderstood. Some of this misunderstanding is related to how the reader or viewer interprets the emoji design. In other cases, there is a technological problem. The emoji that was typed in by the writer is not shown in the same way in the e-mail received and read by the reader. This happens when the writer and reader of an e-mail do not use the same software or operating system for their devices. Emojis originated on Japanese mobile phones in the late 1990s. They quickly spread in popularity and now more than six billion of them are sent every day around the world. There is even a World Emoji Day, which is celebrated on July the 17th every year.

Vocabulary

jeopardize (v): 1-to put something such as a plan or system in danger of being harmed or damaged:
E.g.: She knew that by failing her finals she could jeopardize her whole future.

incompetent (adj): 1-not having the ability to do something as it should be done:
E.g.: an incompetent teacher/doctor
E.g.: He has described the government as corrupt and incompetent.

corruption (n): 1-illegal, bad, or dishonest behaviour, especially by people in positions of power:
E.g.: The film is about a young police officer and his struggle to expose corruption in the force.
E.g.: Political corruption is widespread throughout the country.

bribe (v): 1-to try to make someone do something for you by giving them money, presents, or something else that they want :
E.g.: He bribed immigration officials and entered the country illegally.

bribe (n): 1– money or a present that you give to someone so that they will do something for you, usually something dishonest:
E.g.: He was accused of accepting/taking bribes from wealthy businessmen.

gauge (v): 1-to calculate an amount, especially by using a measuring device:
E.g.: Use a thermometer to gauge the temperature.

interpret(v): 1-to decide what the intended meaning of something is:
E.g.: It’s difficult to interpret these statistics without knowing how they were obtained.
E.g.: A jury should not interpret the silence of a defendant as a sign of guilt.