The Psychology of “Emoticons”
When do you use Facebook emoticons in occasion? The case of most common is “Like”, which is often used when you empathize with a post or when you reply to a comment, meaning “Thank you for commenting” the latter case. “Love” is used when you empathize especially strongly and want to express a strong “thank you.” The next emoticon, “Care” is especially in Japan, used to express even greater empathy and gratitude than “Love”. “Wow” is used when you are surprised by a post, expressing a feeling like “I didn’t know that! You’re amazing for knowing that!”. “Sad” is used when the post is literally sad, or sometimes as a reply with a slightly more complex feeling, such as “It’s a shame you don’t understand even after I’ve told you so much.” And “Angry” is used when the post itself is “horrible” or when the subject of the post is “horrible”, expressing anger toward it.
Now, “Haha”. It’s common for many people to use this emoticon when they find a post funny. However, there is one person here who is not like that. That’s the “famous pseudo-right-wing violinist Mr. K” In particular, he responds to all of my posts and comments with the same “Haha” comment, “every single time”, “always”, “as if it were stamped everytime”. No matter what the content is, even if the post is inconvenient for him (and, of course, everything I write is inconvenient for him), he always responds with “funny” to everything I write. This got me thinking. What exactly is his “psychology”? There are probably many reasons, but isn’t it ultimately something like this?
1. Simply hiding embarrassment
2. Wanting to argue back, but unable to
3. Seemingly seething, but still wanting to appear calm
4. Wanting to appear superior (a.k.a. condescending)
5. Pretending to be stubborn and not put up with what you say
I think it’s probably a combination of the above psychological factors, but there’s another one. Maybe he’s under the illusion that by repeatedly saying “Haha (that’s funny)” like a psychopath, he can intimidate me. This has been especially true recently, but he hasn’t been responding to my comments at all. I understand why. It’s because of that his knee-jerk reactions only make his position more precarious. It’s because that seems he’s starting to realize that the more he writes, the more he sinks into a quagmire of self-contradiction. He should have realized this sooner. He deserves what he’s got.
The questions I’m asking him are simple and clear.
1. As a self-proclaimed “right-winger”, what do you think of a cult religion whose doctrine is that “the Japanese emperor bows down to its Guru”?
2. Why do you worship a man who pours money into such a cult, garnering votes, and even becoming prime minister?
If he gives me an answer to these questions that I’m satisfied with, then everything will be over. He’s been slacking off on this answer for two years, and each time he’s dovetailed into a different topic, which is what I just can’t forgive. Finally, for those who don’t know the full story, I’ve included links to the main articles below, so if you’re interested, please take a look.
<Why did Tetsuya Yamagami kill Shinzo Abe?>
<Now, the long-awaited comment from the person in question. >
<Japanese Writing Techniques (First Lecture)>
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php… CZdfBG2HcATT4wk6r1Zq8r6KvVY6vFxHAPMXZ1ts6HGEWgLl&id=100016209605860
<Japanese Writing Techniques (Second Lecture)>
<Japanese Writing Techniques (Second Lecture)> Literature Techniques (Third Lecture) >
<Mr. K’s “spinal reflex” again>
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php… QH3LiVN2x4MfHQhCSjsL7NmwWro54NCZSKNsHnSXzmN9YmwL1DLVKxMl&id=100016209605860
<Open Letter to Mr. K>
<Mr. K has just commented that he is “unable to debate” due to his “busy schedule.” >
<Mr. K, who supposedly abandoned the debate due to his “busy schedule”>
