Dear Friends and Students,
Nowadays, most of us use
emojis instead of text as they symbolize the conversation, lower the serious
tone, and help to connect with the recipient better psychologically. While
emojis are great for adding a personal touch to our messages, we should always
consider the context and potential implications of using them.
For example, a
farmer from Canada was recently ordered to pay $82,000 by a court because a
"thumbs-up" emoji was interpreted as agreement to a contract. This
incident highlights that emojis can sometimes lead to misunderstandings and
serious consequences.
“In March 2021, grain
purchasers with South West Terminal, Ltd., sent a text message to grain
suppliers wanting to buy flax for $17 per bushel for delivery in October,
November, or December of that year. After phone calls with farmers Bob and
Chris Achter, SWT drafted a contract for Chris Achter to sell SWT 86 metric
tons of flax for $17 a bushel and deliver the flax in November. The SWT rep
signed the contract in ink and then sent a photo of the contract via cell phone
to Chris Achter along with the message 'Please confirm flax contract.' Achter
responded with a 'thumbs-up' emoji, according to the documents. According to
Achter in the court documents, he confirmed that 'the thumbs-up emoji confirmed
that I received the flax contract. It was not a confirmation that I agreed with
the terms of the flax contract.' The judge said it appears the deal was 'at
least verbally struck,' according to the documents. The judge ruled Achter owed
SWT $82,000 plus interest and costs for failing to deliver the flax.” (CNN, July
7, 2023).
This issue opens a new set
of court cases now. People
use 
, 
, 
, etc., in different
contexts. How do they impact different meanings and interpretations in business
and legal terms? In fact, I remember one of my past teammates messaged “KK”
instead of “OK,” which the customer did not take well. We had to explain this
short communication.
"KK" is an
informal exclamation used in text messages to mean "OK." It's a reduplication
of the word "k" and is shortened from "OK." It originated
in the 1990s and was first used in online communities, not texting. The double
K means the message has been acknowledged. Similarly, BRB: Be Right Back, IDK:
I Don't Know, LOL: Laugh Out Loud, SMH: Shaking My Head, ROFL: Rolling On the
Floor Laughing, TMI: Too Much Information, etc.
What is the problem with
using these in the future? If
I understand from the judge’s point of view, it is good. There is a reason, I
believe. As you know, large language models (LLMs) like GPT-4 (Artificial
Intelligence) understand informal shortcuts and abbreviations by being trained
on vast amounts of text data. When generating text, the AI uses its
understanding of context to decide when to use formal or informal language. If
the conversation is casual, the AI might use abbreviations and shortcuts to match
the tone. These types of conversations might lead companies into trouble in the
future as many companies are relying on virtual assistants.
Emojis enhance
communication by adding emotional nuance but should be used carefully to avoid
misinterpretations, especially in professional settings.
Note: If you wish to read
my stories in the future, you may connect with me on LinkedIn, Facebook, or my blog.
Best
Wishes,
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