Since the Netflix drama Adolescence dropped, it has been on everyone's lips and has given many people an insight into the damaging effects that the internet and social media can have on children.
Without giving any spoilers away, the Netflix show tells the story of 13-year-old Jamie Miller and his family, after he murders a young girl from his class and is processed through the British justice system.
The writer and star of the show Stephen Graham has gone on the record to say that this is not a whodunit mystery, but more a deep dive into the ‘why’ behind the killing.
It’s a deeply upsetting watch, particularly because no one aspect is fully at fault: it’s the parenting, the education system, the influence of toxic masculinity, accessibility to a terrifying world online… Basically, this is what we are all struggling to navigate as parents in this modern world.
While there is no definitive answer to the question, one part of the story has revealed that parents could do with learning how to decode their children’s online communications, namely being able to identify what exactly is being said when they use certain emojis.
Here, EVOKE breaks down some of the most common signs used by our teens and even tweens and what they really mean.
The love heart emojis
You sent your other half a love heart emoji when they tell you they have dinner on… You reply to your pals who say they can’t wait to catch up on a planned night out… It’s a sign of love, right?
Well, not always. In Adolescence, investigator DI Blascombe is pulled by his teenage son Adam who explains the police aren’t making any headway in the investigation as they ‘don’t get it’.
He tells him that love heart emojis and the colours all have different meanings. ‘Red means love, purple- horny, yellow – “I’m interested, are you interested”, pink – “I’m interested but not in sex”, orange – “You’re going to be fine”. It all has a meaning. Everything has a meaning.’
The red pill
One emoji that probably doesn’t crop up all that often in normal messages is the red pill, but according to Adam it has a very specific meaning and is inspired by the 90’s sci-fi movie The Matrix.
‘The red pill is like, “I see the truth”. It’s a call to action by the manosphere,’ he says- but what is the ‘manosphere’?
It’s a part of the online world that promotes misogyny, anti-feminism and sexist beliefs, through websites, blogs, social media and podcasts.
Adam explains that murder victim Katie sent Jamie a red pill and a dynamite emoji which means he is an ‘incel’ part of an online community of men who can’t attract women and are usually hostile as a result.
Given that her killer is only 13, this confuses DI Blascombe, but Adam says ‘She’s saying he always will be.’
Kidney beans
Following on from the red pill, Adam explained that by using the kidney beans emoji, young men are identifying themselves as in incels, unattractive to women.
It’s thought this could actually related to the coffee bean emoji that features on so-called ‘manosphere’ content that belittles women on social media.
The 100 emoji
This is far more than just a number, it reflects the ’80/20′ rule. Adam explains that it means only a small percentage of men are actually desired by women.
He said ‘Women, you must trick them because you’ll never get them in a normal way,’ to his stunned father, explaining that it’s a symbol that represents manipulation and gaslighting.
