Be the first to comment. To Gen Z, that classic smiley face emoji isn’t all sunshine — it’s more of a smug, side-eye smirk that can come off as passive-aggressive in texts like above.

Gen Z's interpretation of the smiley face emoji isn't new, although it's making headlines again. In 2021, the Wall Street Journal ran a whole piece on it and included insight from Gen Z.

Of course the smiley face wasn’t always just an emoji. It actually has a steeper history that’s older than any Gen Z. According to The Guardian, the smiley face was invented in 1963 “as a ...

“The upside down smiley face one is definitely confusing because that could mean anything,” said St. Francis College student Sabrina Tayeh, 18, of Brooklyn Heights.

Look, I’m no emoji expert, but there’s one thing I do know: The basic smiley emoji is a goddamn liar. And using it makes you a liar, too. I first noticed ...

Using a smiley face with the tongue sticking out can convey a sense of fun, silliness, or joking, but the emoji showing a squinting face with the tongue stuck out is often used in suggestive ways.

Gen Z co-opted the smiley face emoji, but beware — it means something totally different to them What used to be the universal symbol of warmth and joy has taken a sinister turn – at least in ...

Gen Z's interpretation of the smiley face emoji isn't new, although it's making headlines again. In 2021, the Wall Street Journal ran a whole piece on it and included insight from Gen Z.