The Emoji Illusion: When Digital Affection Replaces Real Emotion - a personal reflection

Feb 12
2 min read

It's Thursday morning, I am just back from a long walk with my dog, connecting with nature, appreciating the silence nature gave me, recharging me and reflecting on life and how I want to throw away my phone. During my walk, I questioned what I would call the 'digital affection'.

Scroll through any message thread today and you’ll find a colourful parade of hearts, kisses, laughing faces, and possibly an endless variations of 'digital affection'.

A red heart can be sent in less than a second. A string of kiss emojis can appear without hesitation. Yet, strangely, many people who freely shower their screens with affection struggle to express genuine warmth when standing face to face with another human being.

Emojis were created to add tone and emotion to text, helping conversations feel lighter and friendlier. I remember the time I used them with so much fun. Now, emojis have quietly become substitutes for real emotional expression. It is far easier to send a heart than to say “I appreciate you.” It feels safer to type “miss you” with a smiling face than to call someone and truly connect. The effort required to show authentic feeling is slowly being replaced by the convenience of tapping a small icon.

In my opinion, social media and messaging platforms have also blurred the meaning of connection. People who barely know each other exchange affectionate emojis, declaring how much they miss one another despite having little shared history or genuine relationship. Laughing emojis are often used to soften awkward remarks or disguise sarcasm, turning meaningful conversation into layers of vague and often misunderstood signals. I can say I am a culprit of this, and was quite hooked by using them.

While emojis can be fun and harmless, they risk becoming emotional shortcuts. As a holistic practitionner, I'm a strong believer in human relationships being built through voice, eye contact, touch, and shared experiences, things no keyboard can fully replicate. When digital symbols begin to replace authentic interaction, relationships can become shallow performances rather than genuine bonds. But without that, we may stay constantly connected, yet slowly grow further apart.

So will I continue to use emojis? Yes maybe, but definetly not the same way I used to!

Sending you love and light