The Power of Emoji in Slack 👍

aka, how Slack can change the meaning of the majority of my reactions with a small UI change.

I think an explanation is in order.

Slack is great. We use it at work, I use it with other communities. It has its drawbacks, too. A lot of misunderstandings can happen in written communication, often because we lack context about a message: was this a legitimate question, or a sarcastic comment? Was this a real opinion, or just irony?

That’s where Emoji come in: a little 👍 helps get the tone across and clarify your intent. I love them, and abuse them. I’m a big fan of 👍. I use it as a seal of approval, or a sign of acknowledgement. Up until last week, I would type :y and then hit tab to quickly react. However, since yesterday, that quick shortcut brings up another Emoji:

Now don’t get me wrong, I love Yoshi. 👍 It’s just a bit confusing for my colleagues. So, if we work together, this is a PSA: 

means

👍