Why Does Gen Z Think The Thumbs-Up Emoji Is Rude?

I have some pretty simple goals in life. None of them are as bold as they were in my early 20s... Make a million dollars, have the giant house, fancy cars, etc. They've mellowed into realistic, more personal achievements.

Things like trying to respond to bad news with grace, staying calm under heavy pressure, and trying to learn something new every single day.

The Young People Keep Changing The Rules

While remaining calm and having grace are give-and-take daily goals, it's far easier to learn something new every day. Not because I go out of my way, but as I get older, the young people coming into the workplace love to introduce new concepts.

I can't deny, learning the lingo of an 18-year-old is sort of hilarious from time to time. Casually tossing out that sometimes the buffalo wings be 'bussin' and collecting that "fanum tax" at the communal table is fun. And on the flip side, it's hilarious to teach them how to use lingo like "rad" and "hella," but it's not always a mutual understanding.

I've encountered something new this past week. I'm convinced I'm one of the last holdouts who hate using emojis, but since that's the new corporate lingo in 2026, we must do what we must do... And I'm already doing it wrong according to all the Yutes I work with.

I've learned that I've been flipping off everyone I email and text without even knowing it. And the more they try to explain this unwritten rule of communication, the grace I'm always working on goes out the window.

Apparently, The Thumbs-Up Emoji Is Offensive Now

Did you know the thumbs-up emoji is the worst response you could send a person? 👍

According to the, well, I'm not sure what generation they belong to... They keep saying they're Millennials, but that's me. OG-Millennial to my core, and it makes no sense to me.

I keep hearing how the thumbs-up emoji is the equivalent of the middle-finger emoji, and I find it really hard to believe since there is a middle-finger emoji on just about every platform... Phones, Teams, email, and there's even an alt-code middle-finger emoji thing on every basic computer.

So I asked that question...

If the thumbs-up emoji is like giving the middle finger, why is there also a middle-finger emoji?

Apparently, that's different.

The middle finger is an emoji of heartfelt endearment that you share with those you're closest to.

The thumbs-up emoji is what you send people you wish you could flip off.

And believe me, I followed it up with the whole "Yeah, but we're close enough, if I flipped you off, you'd know it was a gesture of loving admiration..." But it doesn't matter.

Make It Make Sense

If anything, this just further cements the idea that there needs to be a micro-generation of people between Gen-X and Millennials. The so-called Xennial Generation, who came up in the world at the cusp of technology, but was also raised on analog everything, and has no problems being unfiltered and straightforward.

So before you go texting your family, friends, or boss a thumbs-up emoji to convey the universal understanding and reassurance... You might opt instead for something else.

My coworkers suggested casually sending little hearts instead, but as I hail from a period of time in America when families only say the "L" word in times of death or dismemberment, that ain't gonna fly either.

Everything from now on shall garner a begrudging 👌 which I find hilarious too. Because, while they see it as a solid "Okay," you and I both know it's two-hits.

Man, I hate emojis.