Early this month, a Canadian farmer was ordered to pay C$82,000 (S$82,468) in damages by a court that ruled that the thumbs-up emoji he had added in reply to a text message was just as valid as a signature.
This news may have some comedic potential, but there is in fact much more to the Canadian judge’s verdict than meets the eye.
One of our earlier studies on mobile phone usage among young adults suggested that they preferred messaging as a communication mode rather than speaking on a mobile phone. Emoji are particularly useful as they can help communicate some messages more effectively than purely verbal communication. Emoji are also useful in overcoming language barriers as they can be easily understood and are universally recognised. However, they can still be a potential minefield, such as intercultural differences in the interpretation of some common emoji.
Although he may have assumed it was clear that his thumbs-up emoji meant he had received the contract, he may not have foreseen that it could have been misinterpreted by the issuer of the contract as indicating acceptance of the contract.
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