In My Fair Lady, Henry Higgins transforms Eliza Doolittle by teaching her how to speak in the proper dialect. Dialect is not only particular to different cultures, regions, and classes, but ages as well. What was hip became cool or rad. A modern day Henry Higgins could tell your age by how you text, what social media platforms you use, or how you use emoticons…

Yes, emoticons. Aiyana Ishmael writes in the Wall Street Journal, a smiley face emoji “means happy… to most people over about age 30. But for many teens and 20-somethings [it] is seen as patronizing or passive-aggressive“ (https://www.wsj.com/articles/sending-a-smiley-face-make-sure-you-know-what-youre-saying-11628522840). This language barrier continues, if not amplifies, the arms race that each generation plays to differentiate itself from the previous groups. This forces older generations to stay with the times or risk being alienated from groups as close as five to ten years their junior.

How are you adapting to this evolution? Are you sticking with the original intent of emoticons, or are you aligning with the new sarcastic meanings?