His warm smile shines from under the brim of his 10-gallon Stetson, bringing farm-to-text delight to every conversation he joins. Summoned only by the brashest of texters, his boisterous presence offers a sudden burst of glee, howling like a rodeo when he rides a thread. The message it sends? A mysterious riddle. His delivery? Wild and untamed. No one really seems to know the secrets behind the chaotically alluring cowboy emoticons.
At least that’s what Adobe said in its 2022 report released Tuesday on the whys and wherefores of emoji user trends. In the analysis, Future of Creativity: US Emoji Trend Report 2022, Adobe says no emoji is more misunderstood among consumers than the lone cowboy.
Read more: Confused by some emoticons? Here’s how to decipher them
“Generationally, Boomers (24%), Gen X’ers (18%) and Millennials (14%) are less confident about the face of a cowboy hat than Gen Z’ers (10%),” Adobe reported .
In the second least understood emoji among all groups was the cherry. The third least understood, the inverted smiley face.
Although the cowboy was the most misunderstood of all emoticons, he could have suffered a worse fate. There’s one emoji that all generations report they dislike more than all the others—the poop pile emoji. 💩
Read more: 5 Emoji keyboards to make texting more fun
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