Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Who’d ever think those silly little yellow circular faces and other such cyber symbols would become such a worldwide smash? I’m talking about emoticons, also known as emojis. Five years ago Apple put an emoji keyboard on its mobile devices. Six billion of these doggone things are sent every day.
But a story at kdvr.com says this isn’t as innocent as it seems.
The story mentions Sheila Allison and her 12-year-old who regularly communicate via emojis. For instance, Allison’s job means she’s not home when her daughter is going to bed, so she sends emojis for zzzz’s, kisses and princess. (There’s an emoji for everything, and not all of them are faces; some are animals, fruits and other symbols.)
So expansive is the emoji language that a person may be considered fluent in it, knowing the hidden meanings of these icons.
Mike Harris hunts down pedophiles for a living, says the article. He’s fluent in emoji, knowing over 1,200 of the icons. He points out that one emoji may have three or four different meanings.
There’s even a Speak Emoji app that translates “emojiese.” The symbols can be used to bully and threaten. They can be used to communicate any number of messages, such as, “Got any crack?”
There are emojis with very concrete meanings, such as bomb, gun and knife symbols. Others are a bit more cryptic, though sending the emoji of a frog to someone you recently called “ugly” should have an obvious interpretation.
More Meanings
- Dog (even cute) emoji = b–ch.
- Pile of poop = sh*t.
- Harris explains that the sequence of a running-man emoji and a bowling ball emoji means “I’m going to hit you.”
- Guess what a scared face, knife and shower means.
- Harris adds that a peach can mean erotic. So can raindrops.
- Context is important; two people discussing the weather and sending raindrop emojis are meaning rain, nothing more.
- Anyone whose head is in the gutter will use the banana emoji.
- Meanings can be invented spur of the moment: sending the pig emoji to an overweight person or when discussing cops. An emoji of a shark (I’m sure there’s one) can refer to a lawyer.
- But a very non-contextual emoji is footprints; this can mean beer.
Sorry, don’t shoot the messenger! Just giving all those over 30 a heads up!
Robert Siciliano CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com, personal security and identity theft expert and speaker is the author of 99 Things You Wish You Knew Before Your Identity Was Stolen. See him knock’em dead in this identity theft prevention video.
About the Author
ROBERT SICILIANO, CEO of IDTheftSecurity.com is fiercely committed to informing, educating, and empowering Americans so they can be protected from violence and crime in the physical and virtual worlds. His "tell it like it is" style is sought after by major media outlets, executives in the C-Suite of leading corporations, meeting planners, and community leaders to get the straight talk they need to stay safe in a world in which physical and virtual crime is commonplace. Siciliano is accessible, real, professional, and ready to weigh in and comment at a moment's notice on breaking news.
Similar Posts
- Check Out These Hurricane Prep Apps
Hurricane Irene whacked the east coast over two weeks ago and people are still pumping out. Roads are still messed up and life has changed for many. My property was in the path, although she went a little west of me so I was spared any damage. But if she did head a little east I - Using a knife for survival
An article at indefinitelywild.gizmodo.com informs on how to use a knife safely and efficiently for survival. Safety For outdoors, carry a fixed-blade knife, as this is less likely to break. The knife should always stay in its sheath. Otherwise, you could stumble and fall into it, slicing and dicing an organ. Practice drawing the knife so that you don’t - Deputy Reports Finding Peek-a-boo Home Burglar in Closet
Turn up your Creep-o-meter for this one. In Florida, law enforcement arrested a man on a home burglary charge after a deputy spotted him sitting in a closet with a sheet over his upper body while his blue jeans and brown boots remained visible. A relative of the homeowner notified local law enforcement when - Barefoot Burglar Gets His Final Sentence
You may recall the story about Colton Harris-Moore, who as a teenager was busted for committing over 100 burglaries in the Pacific Northwest. He stole cars, speedboats and airplanes and is known as the “Barefoot Burglar” because he kicked off his shoes running through the woods from the police. After two years of running, Harris-Moore was busted - What is “Swatting” And How Do I Protect My Family
Swatting is making prank calls to emergency services with the intent of sending those services to the victim’s home. Emergency services, such as a 911 operator may dispatch an emergency response team, and depending what the story is being told by the prank caller, the operator may dispatch a SWAT team. SWAT is Special Weapons