EMOTICONS ON INSTAGRAM,
what do they mean?
About a week or two ago, May-Britt posted a photo of herself on Instagram where we could see her very happily presenting a warm apple pie. A gift from our friends at Iconic Studios, warmly delivered and “almost criminally delicious.” Fine, but May's followers decided to bombard her with the icon of the pointing finger. Why? To prevent this kind of misunderstanding once and for all, here is an introductory explanation about the use of emojis on Instagram.
To begin with, that pointing finger means that the poster wants to indicate agreement with the comment above. In May's case with her apple pie, these were a series of compliments, and to be honest, those comments weren't that funny, so why 33 (!) people felt the need to post those fingers is not entirely clear to us.
Then we have the yellow emoji with hearts for eyes. Yes, this is sent when someone is so head-over-heels in love that he or she sees hearts, but can also be used for non-romantic moments, in the case of great enthusiasm for something. I once had a friend who was in a state of great confusion for months because, ho ho, was her booty call becoming a little in love with her? Turned out to be untrue, the guy was just expressing his enthusiasm for her Instagram photos with heart-shaped eyes.
Perfect for Instagram because they are cute and meaningful
There is also sometimes confusion about the two flat hands giving each other a high five. Because is that really a high five? Or are they praying hands? I always think the former but have been questioned about why I suddenly became so religious.
Personal favorite, the woman in the red dress. You use this when there is a party or other joyful event that you are really looking forward to. Just like the confetti cannon or the balloons. I use this at least 18 times a day. Guilty as charged.
Then the monkeys. The monkeys with their eyes, ears, or mouths covered. Perfect for Instagram because they are cute and meaningful, just like your photos (if all goes well). Very handy as a replacement for the wink emoji (which we all hate) to spice up your message a bit and thus ideal for subtly flirting in public. For those who want to spice things up a bit more or are really wondering why that one guy consistently responds with eggplants and peaches, I would like to refer to the Sexting Handbook Through Emojis, because it describes all that and more in detail.
Instagram, no one said it would be fun.
