CEBU CITY, Philippines — These are just some of the emojis we usually use when expressing our feelings online. “I love you” when added with these emojis can be sincere as it appears in our inbox. But does any of it really convey true emotions?
CDN Digital tried to ask the opinions from a couple, who are miles away from each other, and a couple, who lives nearby, to know their take about the roles of emojis and love hearts in maintaining their relationship.
Jason and Samantha have been in a long distance relationship (LDR) for a year now, and they communicate with each other online. Jason, 26, is based in Manila for work and Samantha, 25, is in Cebu.
Like any other couple, they have encountered misunderstandings and have spent their monthsary far from each other. Despite this, love remains.
Jason, who has admitted that he is the more clingy person than Samantha, says that using emojis could help him express the love he has for his partner.
He says that this made it easier to communicate and to assure Samantha that he is serious of having her. This is also his way of assuring her, his partner, that he is feeling the same way as she does. Sort of. Emojis and love hearts can be the standard on how to personalize the communication between them.
“I [use] emojis, sometimes, when I really don’t want my feelings to be expressed obviously. It is also my way of knowing if the other side really cares for me,” Jason says.
But it is the other way around for Samantha. She sends the exact words she has in mind. She does not believe that emojis can make a huge difference than the plain text.
Jason, sometimes, jokingly describes Samantha as a difficult and strong woman to deal with. Samantha, on the other hand, says that Jason is too gentle for her.
But amid all these, both say that whether or not a message contains emojis or love hearts in it, the most important thing is that they trust and respect each other despite being miles away. For them, it is about taking the risk to meet halfway.
“Love is too general to set standards on how this should be expressed. For me, the most common way of expressing love is the trust and respect you have for your partner, despite, the fact, of not having him or her near you. Sort of, love is a personal responsibility and liability,” Samantha says.
Faye and Brian
Another pair of love birds also shares how vital the role of emojis are for their relationship.
Faye, 24, from Cebu, shares to CDN Digital that she feels the butterflies in her stomach when her boyfriend, Brian, 28, will send her a message with emojis and love hearts in it.
Faye and Brian are neighbors-turned-lovers for two years now. But even if they are only a house away, Faye says that her boyfriend is a plain texter and every time Brian uses emojis in his messages, it will make her feel “kilig”.
“dili jod na hilig mag use og emoji [boyfriend] man uy. Murag kiligon ko gamay kung mag use siyag emoji like mo ana ‘iloveyou❤️❤️❤️’,” Faye says.
(He [boyfriend] does not use emojis. I will feel butterflies in my stomach if he will use emojis like he will ‘iloveyou❤️❤️❤️’.)
“Mafeel man gud nako nga sincere pagkasulti basta maguse og emojis compared to plain text lang kay murag wala lang. Gitype lang for compliance, way effort mochange sa keyboard from text to emojis,” she says.
(I feel that he is sincere in saying it if he will use emojis compared to plain text which is like nothing happened. He just typed it for compliance, no effort to change the keyboard from texts to emojis.)
Exploring the role of emojis in communication has been included in several studies such as how these affect the way a person communicates and how this can cause miscommunication.
The role of emojis and love hearts in expressing love online may vary from person to person. We may express love differently but despite the differences, love truly works in mysterious ways.
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