Harness the power of emojis

Victoria Turk, author of Digital Etiquette

It’s hard to convey tone from a keyboard. Here’s how to avoid emoji ambiguity…

Win friends and influence people. People who use happy emojis on Facebook are judged to be open and conscientious.

Learn the lingo. These symbols have taken on a whole new set of meanings since the days when a peach meant a fruit. Now, an upside-down smiley = sarcasm but...

Share an in-joke. You can’t call yourself friends unless there’s at least one emoji you use in a way that no one else gets. Assign new meanings to random object emojis, or use them as codewords for your exes (animal emojis are perfect).

Someone in hospital? Ditch the sad face. Don’t use emojis in serious situations, even if you’re lost for words. And stay away from the aubergine if you’re trying to be sexy – you’re more likely to make someone laugh than turn them on.