There’s an “ok” with a heart shape, a sad-faced one disguised to look contented and happy, a genuinely happy one that just doesn’t seem sincere from all angles I look at it.
How do I read Telegram stickers? Am I on the same frequency as my interlocutor? What if I misinterpret your sticker (though I’m darned sure it has already happened)? Why do you choose this sticker over another if they carry the same meaning? And above all, can the sticker be fully substituted with a word, phrase, sentence, or an entire essay if absolutely necessary, or are stickers unique in the meaning they convey? Do they promote laziness, or forge closer bonds, do they make it easier to say words that are otherwise never going to escape your mouth, or do they just provide an easier path to temporarily escape your feelings?
I’ve been told by several that I’m exceptionally devoid of emojis and/or stickers in my texting. That I can sound cold, unapproachable, overly formal because I have always preferred words over emojis. But I battle a constant battle understanding someone else’s emojis and stickers, and so the last thing I want to do is to complicate myself even further by sending my own emojis (which I hate to admit but are sometimes sent without the supposed meaning of the emoji). I’ve always found emojis and stickers as an easy way to escape out of a difficult text, and perhaps some would consider that aspect of emojis/stickers as a saving star, but I need to know the truth. But it wouldn’t be appropriate to interrogate the purpose behind every sticker, can it? There are a million and one reasons behind an emoji. Some are genuine, some are carelessly tossed into the wind, and some emojis should just never exist.
What’s in a Telegram sticker? What constitutes them psychologically, emotionally, personally? I wish I knew, but as usual I’m clueless about the things around me.
Today, accompanied by a storm in my mind, a mess in my emotions and a heart unsure of what it feels, I stare down at my sticker pack on Telegram and hover over hundreds of stickers in an attempt to respond to a rather nonchalantly crafted reply. I eventually give up, and as usual, I reply in words.
; 