emoticon indecisions

[darkoshi]

Lately when texting or typing someone a message, rather than just typing an emoji, I'll sometimes click to see what emoticon gifs are available. And there are so many smiling, laughing, crying, etc. faces, but *none* of them look like the simple smile I had in mind. Then I have to decide whether to use one of those sort-of-creepy-looking smiley icons, or not to insert a smiley after all.

Sometimes, I want to add a cute image to the end of my message, because there are so many available, right? So I start scrolling through them... oh that's a nice palm tree, I could use that maybe... oh a cute elephant.. a crab... a fox... a heart with stars in it.. But then I wonder, will the other person appreciate the cute image, or will they wonder why I'm sending them an image of a palm tree, or of a fox...

Comments

[randomdreams]

I think, when in doubt, send a bunny.

[marahmarie]

My phone lets me send GIFs...huge, sometimes complex ones, but then I wonder if the person on the receiving end will be able to see them. Like, I have this tech on my phone, but if they don't, can they still see the image, or will they just see nothing or else some gibberish characters?

Which I'm curious about because when I had Android and OP was still using a Windows phone my emojis would actually print out as gibberish on his end. Which got me to wonder: Android to iPhone? Android some Galaxy version to Android some Huawei version? Is it all compatible? Or is any of it? So there's something I should research online but never get around to doing (or even thinking about beyond the time I spend texting, honestly).

[darkoshi]

With the emojis, I remember that happening on one of my prior phones.
With the animated gifs, I also worry about how much data they may use, if I don't know what the other person's data plan is.

[marahmarie]

Huh, never thought of that, as my own plan is one of those allegedly unlimited flavors. My landlord never thought of it, either...when he sends me GIFs they are uh, huuuuuge. Why he does this, I do not know.