Emojis are becoming more common in the workplace, but not everyone is giving them a 'thumbs up', according to new research.
Research released on World Emoji Day shows people are using them in their private life, but aren't so sure once they get into the office.
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"Especially amongst young people, use of emojis on a day to day basis is very high, probably almost universal," linguistics professor Miriam Meyerhoff told Newshub.
"But within the workplace there's quite a strong feeling that using emojis is either inappropriate or unprofessional."
On top of this people sometimes miss the mark, with half of people admitting to using them in the wrong context and others having to explain the joke.
"People in the 16-24 age group, about two-thirds of them have said that they have at some point had to explain what an emoji meant," Prof Meyerhoff said.
One-in-three people said emoji use changes their perception of their colleagues, but Prof Meyerhoff thinks workplaces will get used to the tiny pictures in place of words one day.
"Seventy-one percent of women are using them and we know from research in linguistics that most language change is led by young women."
The research was released by 2degrees.
Newshub.
