I have been passive aggressive without knowing......

[letsallcountsheep]

I don't use social media a lot and tend to live in my own little bubble. I had no idea that the thumbs up was passive aggressive 😬

Now I feel like I need to make a lot of apologies 😅 I just saw it as a quick I agree with what was said

I use it all of the time time-as do my Gen Z children.

All this faux outrage and cancelling things is getting ridiculous.
If they "feel attacked" when they see thumbs up they have far bigger problems than an emoji.

Well, it is.

It's not generational it is person dependent.

Well no, there’s exceptions amongst it. research has been done on it. Just google it. Easy.

you’re darlings must just text like mummy.

Is this thread reaching the dizzy heights of mince rinsing in demonstrating gulfs between demographic groups that may never be bridged?

No single person can decide that it is PA -loads of posters on here dispute your "google research"

Right, so you're not PA with your 👍
Your posts are just mean - well, says more about you.

I suspect there is an age difference. I'm in my 60s and often respond to WhatsApp messages with a thumbs up - as do my contemporaries. We do not mean anything other than "ok" or "great" or "read and understood". Yes it often ends a conversation, but not in a passive aggressive way.

I also use full stops, which my children (in their 20s) tell me are also seen as passive aggressive in texts.

👍

Passing ve aggressive? Since when? It's my most used emoji

According to DS15 a thumbs up reaction is entirely different to a thumbs up response.
I gave my sis a thumbs up reaction to an earlier msg which said "we've arrived at hotel, see you at 7pm". This is OK apparently. I wouldn't change even it if wasn't because if someone viewed my thumbs up as PA then I'd question my relationship with them.

That's what I thought too! 👍

Who decided that the way Gen Z uses emojis is the correct way? Fuck 'em, they're young, they know nothing.

I’m honestly amazed I have any friends. But then I think I’m learning some people make friendship unnecessarily complex.

I think it is the the equivalent of nodding and going uh-huh. OK in specific circumstances. Basically saying I hear what you say and have nothing to add.
So if you wouldn't say that in person (and if someone said thanks for the cake and you nodded and grunted I'd think you were pretty rude) then it's not OK in message.

I thought it meant "My friend!".

It’s not “Google research” it’s research that’s been done that’s readily available on Google. You do know generational trends won’t cover every single person don’t you? Why are you having a hard time comprehending that?

Don’t really care if a random person on MN thinks I’m mean, I can’t lie.

👍

One poster suggested using a red heart emoji instead....but according to one of the surveys linked, that is a sign that we're old people as well!

Since there's plenty of people on the thread that had no idea it was passive-aggressive, and don't feel offended when someone uses it as a response Ill probably keep using it as normal with my (gen x) friends, family and colleagues and my gen z kids and family until they tell me otherwise! ( they probably think I'm uncool already)

I think I'm just going to put the aubergine emoji when I'm unsure of the correct one, what could go wrong? 🍆

Some people here sound really hard work to be friends with TBH. Sometimes it really is too much effort to write something. Between cooking dinner, helping with homework and fielding phone calls a thumbs up is sometimes all someone has time for. Not offensive at all, just busy people with lives going on and you aren’t always centre of attention.

Since when is a thumbs up passive aggressive ? It means you agree with what someone is saying. I would not worry.

The thumbs up can be passive aggressive when used to reply to a long, whiny email asking you to do something, trying to elicit a response, etc.

I use it for colleagues I don't like/find annoying.

Ooh a thumbs up reply to an email, never seen that, only on teams and messaging - but it would be crushing!!

I’ve spoken to several young people under 25 who say that thumbs up and smilies are sarcastic in their friendship group but they know that older people use them seriously and aren’t offended by them doing it.