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The secret meanings behind emojis

Emojis are your digital body language, and just like in real life, one wrong move can send the totally wrong message. 😬 The right emoji adds personality, sarcasm or a playful tone. But some of these tiny icons carry hidden meanings you might not realize.

Use the 🍆 emoji to talk about dinner? Yikes. Definitely don’t send 🐱 thinking it’s just cute. Even something as simple as the 😅 emoji might read way more awkward than you intended.

One bad emoji, and you’ve accidentally turned “Thanks!” into “I’m flirting” or worse, “I’m confused and sweating.”

So before you hit send, read this. 👇 It might just save you from an emoji facepalm.

Most misused emojis

😂 Crying laughing: If this is your go-to, you’re a jokester. There’s a reason I use it with my dad jokes. Heads up, Gen Z definitely thinks it’s for old people. Oh well.

💀 Skull: It means “I’m dead,” as in, laughing so hard it just about killed you. Super popular with Gen Z and now millennials. Use it and your kids or grandkids will think you’re groovy.

🔥 Fire: If you’re constantly dropping the fire emoji, you’re all about hype and enthusiasm. It’s the equivalent of saying, “That’s awesome!”

🙃 Upside-down smiley: The king of sarcasm for those of you with a dry sense of humor. It’s the perfect way to say, “Yeah, sure … whatever.”

👍 Thumbs-up: Sorry, but it usually comes across as passive-aggressive. When you respond to a long text with just a thumbs-up, people see it as dismissive. I’ll share what I use instead below.

🙏 Praying hands: Are you using this emoji to say “thank you” or to actually pray? You’re probably a thoughtful and appreciative person. Some people still confuse it for a high five.

👀 Side-eye: Dropping the 👀 emoji in a message? You’re either curious, gossiping or hinting at something juicy.

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Less mess, more yum

😋 Here’s your shortcut to faster meals and easier prep.

This 64-oz insulated bottle (21% off) keeps your drinks hot or cold all day.
Cut down on your meal prep time with a vegetable chopper (22% off).
This cute Splatypus jar spatula ($13) scoops every last bit.
Your food stays warm on an electric tray (33% off) when friends arrive late.
These oven rack guards (36% off) help protect against burns and scars.
Don’t let leftovers go to waste. Grab a 24-pack of glass storage containers (8% off) to keep them fresh.

👩‍🍳 My kitchen faves: From the breadmaker I use to the nontoxic cookware, check them out here.

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Thank-you texts are in: Millennials are making a habit of sending warm, heartfelt messages after hanging out with friends. Something like, “Had such a great time, so nice to see you!” Polite? Nope, just easing post-hangout anxiety about whether everyone had a good time.

6 hours

Per day with family. That’s part of a scientific formula for the perfect day (paywall link). You should also spend two hours with friends, two hours exercising and one hour eating and drinking. Work? Keep it under six hours, and screen time under one. It might not be realistic, but hey, life’s supposed to be about balance, right?

🔴 Go live, privately: Instagram lets you livestream just to your close friends instead of all your followers. Tap the + button, choose Live, then select Share with Close Friends and start broadcasting. You can add up to three pals. Want to tweak your list? Head to More (three lines) > Settings > Who can see your content > Close Friends.

Prep and pour under $50

Must-have, helpful stuff at great prices? Yes, please.

Keep your leftovers fresh with glass containers (15% off). I ditched plastic ones.
A portable oven (58% off) is perfect for picnics and road trips.
A countertop ice maker (29% off) is essential.
An electric wine opener ($30) makes happy hour happier.
Easter’s almost here! Replace your bottles with new gel food coloring set (5% off).

🐱 For your furry friends: Snag a water and pet feeder combo ($30) or a stainless steel fountain (13% off) for a nice spring upgrade.

We may earn a commission from purchases, but our recommendations are always objective.

💸 Avoid PayPal fees: Transferring money to friends or family? Pick Sending to a friend instead of Goods and Services to skip the fee. It works if you’re using a linked bank account or PayPal balance. FYI: There’s no buyer protection, so only use it with people you trust.

Deal with bullies: Your kid will run into rude or mean people online, especially in games or group chats. Show them how to mute or block the person. On Discord, they just need to right-click the bully’s name or profile and hit Block. Let them know it’s private and their other friends won’t know.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: On Facebook, go to Settings > Privacy > “Who can look you up?” and lock it down to friends only.

🎶 Rockin’ votes: Planning a road trip? YouTube now lets your friends add and vote on songs in shared playlists. Here’s how to create one. Then, click the three-dot menu > Collaborate > toggle on Collaborators can add songs and videos. Hit Share to send the link to your pals. No arguing over who gets to DJ.

Solo Words With Friends: WWF (the puzzle game, not the pandas or wrestling) added a new solo game called Letter Lock. Slide letters up and down columns to make words and unlock more columns. It’s part puzzle, part productivity trap, and 100% designed to eat your break time.

⚡️ 3-second tech genius: UWB = Ultra-Wideband. This tech powers super-precise location like AirTags knowing exactly which couch cushion your keys are under. Use that to impress your family and friends.

🍿 Sup, movie buffs: Wanna dish about your favorite films? Say hello to Letterboxd. It’s like Goodreads but for cinephiles. This free site lets you rate, review, keep a diary of your watch list, and even follow friends to see what they’re loving (or hate-watching).

🛜 Cord-cutting: Not what you think. Since 2023, at least 11 undersea cables have gone dark from suspected Russian sabotage (paywall link). China’s linked to incidents near Taiwan, too. Both say “not me.” Over 95% of the world’s data travels via 500+ of these lines. Without them? We’d be back to the dial-up era. We’re one cable cut away from faxing memes to your friends.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Teens on Facebook? Meta’s on it: From the “What took you so long?” department. New teen accounts come with parental controls baked in, no setup fuss. Meta says you’ll get eyes on screen time, friends lists and they can’t message strangers or tweak privacy settings without your say-so. Yea, right. Just like when we didn’t use fake IDs.

Oh, this quote: Remember when Roblox’s CEO basically said, “If you can’t watch your kids, don’t let them play Roblox.” That was a PR disaster. So Roblox now lets parents block specific friends from their kid’s account. Basically the digital version of “I don’t like that kid, he’s a bad influence.”

Calling fellow tricksters: I love a prank. Hit my list of April Fools’ tech tricks to make your friends and family laugh, groan and say, “How the heck did you do that?” Love the super slo-o-o-w Alexa.

About time: If your teen is using the AI chat app Character.AI, turn on Parental Insights to get a weekly report showing how much time they spend on it, which bots they talk to and for how long. This comes after a heartbreaking case where a Florida mom said her 14-year-old son took his own life after forming a bond with a chatbot on the app. Bottom line: These AI friends aren’t always harmless.

Ditch the algorithm junk: Facebook is adding a new Friends tab that only shows posts, stories, Reels and birthdays from people you actually know. No sponsored content, suggested posts or group clutter. Look for it in the navigation bar.

LinkedIn influencers? It’s not just for jobs anymore. People are sharing personal stories mixed with career advice, and it’s making them famous. Take April Little (paywall link). She wrote about layoffs, went viral and now has 260,000 followers and $150,000 in brand deals. A little shameless self-promotion: Share this with your friends on LinkedIn and tell ’em to sign up for my newsletter at GetKim.com. TY!