Choosing to use emojis to react to emotional stories we see in our news feeds because we find it difficult to articulate ourselves as we would like, is degrading our ability to communicate effectively, which in turn is affecting our mental health and sense of personal autonomy

If you happen to read something in your news feed which leaves you feeling angry or upset and are compelled to say something in the comments, but then worry about saying it right or upsetting someone, or people misunderstanding what you mean and then attacking you - don't trade all of the anxiety in wanting to speak your truth for a convenient emoji instead - because soon enough you'll have forgotten how it feels to articulate your grievances through words to any satisfying degree at all - and the next time your emotions are stirred by injustices taking place in the world it will be even more difficult to muster the confidence to say what you really want to say, making it more likely you will choose the easy way out once more - taking the entirety of your feelings and emotions in that moment and replacing them with 1 of only 6 possible options - I agree - I love - I'm amazed - I hate - I'm sad - I'm angry

We're much more complex than emojis allow us to express, and deep down we know it. It seems as though the continued denial and inaction to improve our capacity to describe our reality is becoming yet another increasing source of frustration for us. And if a backlash to the inherent lack of precision of emojis does eventually become a source of collective distress, I would not be surprised at all if companies like Facebook responded to the outcry by introducing yet more refined emojis capable of allowing us to 'articulate' ourselves with greater 'nuance'.  

Not being able to express our sentiments exactly how we experience them, or not feeling free enough to talk openly about sensitive topics that may require us to be generous and kind to each other - isn't good for our collective mental health going forward. The system itself in which we communicate (Facebook) encourages us to be less nuanced in our thoughts through the crude alternative of emojis.  

Emojis are to language what McDonald's is to food. They never fully satisfy, but they do at the time.  

We can only be as expressive as the tools that we use will allow, and being able to crystallise in words precisely how we feel at a certain point in time truly is one of the best ways to externalise and then look squarely at, whatever it is that might be troubling or exciting us inside.

So down with emojis and alphabets FTW!!! :D :D :D  

I'm troubled by the culture of fear I see growing around me, when I look at my friends and read their concerns over consequences of them expressing themselves honestly online. I worry about the long-term conditioning and self-limiting effects this will have on them. From what I can see, a lot more people are choosing to self-censor in order to minimise the chances of anxiety inducing responses from others, and for some, even the idea of getting into a debate online these days is leading some to become filled with anxiety. If having a debate online in front of an audience feels like a battle, then the ability to articulate yourself as you would like surely is a great weapon to have in your arsenal.  

Reflecting on this last point a little further it seems as though one of the precursory factors which causes people to avoid engaging in online discussions stems precisely from them perceiving online debates as battles. If you use war analogies and metaphors as the lenses to help you make sense of discussions then you've already admitted to yourself that conflict of some sort is to be expected. But if you choose to see discussions as group problem solving exercises, where everyone present is a free participant able to contribute an idea or (just as important) counter an idea in order for the collective train of thought to eventually arrive at the truth, then it may help us see others more favourably and with less preconceived judgments.