Symbols of hope
WHEN emojis first raised their little yellow mugs on our phone screens a decade ago I swore I’d never resort to clicking on Grinning Face or Broken Heart.
I was perfectly happy running the gamut of emotions from A to Z with words.
Why on earth would I start communicating using weird cartoon icons?
Because everybody else was using them, of course, and the digital age was transforming human interactions.
We already knew that a picture could paint a thousand words.
But with that handy emoji keyboard we could start to share feelings that we wouldn’t have bothered articulating before.
And soon our most frequently used emojis could speak volumes about our personalities. This week a poll by
Samsung revealed that nine out of 10 Brits now prefer using emojis than words to express their emotions.
A third of people find talking face to face about feelings far too “awkward”.
And one in 10 would even prefer to dump a partner using a meme or a GIF. Because, as one digital expert explained, “emotions and feelings can now be conveyed instantly to others in a single, powerful visual.”
I do find it sad that people can’t sit down and talk through their feelings.
But there is no denying the emotional power of visuals, as the horrific images from Ukraine keep reminding us.
Just look at how a single letter – Z – now represents the worst of humanity.
First seen on Russian tanks, it has been adopted as a pro-putin icon by those who believe the dictator’s lies.
A misguided young gymnast, Ivan Kuliak, taped it to his chest for a medal ceremony while children at a hospice were forced to line up in the snow and form a Z for a propaganda photo.
A mundane symbol has been turned into a new swastika, the symbol of an evil dictator’s barbarity.
But there are many other Russians struggling to express their own feelings – their fury, disgust and opposition.
And in a bid to dodge the thought police they are also using emojis to communicate with each other.
Those organising protests use the walking man symbol to rally support.
While the sunflower – the Ukrainian national flower – has been adopted as a symbol of resistance, unity and hope.
We have all been running the gamut of emotions watching this war unfold.
And I’ve come to realise there ARE no words to express our sorrow.
We can simply send our love and prayers that brave Ukraine will prevail.