Nerd emoji memes feature different iterations of the specific emoji 🤓, which wears glasses and sports prominent front teeth. The emoji is used when someone gets into a technically nerdy conversation. These conversations can relate to a niche interest or fandom. In many cases, it's used by music fans to share a technical or unpopular opinion based on a technical aspect of production and performance.
What does the Nerd Emoji mean?
Use of the nerd emoji in this manner began in 2019 when a 3D animated version of the emoji appeared on stock image sites like Shutterstock. It evolved into a meme in January 2022, when @anglwantr on Twitter posted the image with the caption "Ooh this is a great album but ooooh the mixing ohh I can't stand the mixing."
Other 3D iterations of the nerd emoji have also become popular when it comes to making memes.
The emoji-based memes continued to spread, often paired with music or fandom-related opinions.
How to respond to 🤓
There are different ways to respond to the nerd emoji. If someone is using it to poke fun at themselves, it's great to remind them how great so-called "nerds" can be. There's nothing wrong with being passionate and enjoying knowledge and learning.
If someone is poking fun at you with the nerd emoji, you can choose to defend yourself, if you feel like it's inaccurate or a slight. Or, you can celebrate all things nerdy.
Backlash to the Nerd Emoji
Not everyone finds the way the nerd emoji appears to be funny or the basis for joking. In the UK, a 10-year-old boy called for a change in the emoji, which he thinks is unfair to those with larger front teeth or glasses.
While many people find the emoji funny, the boy asked that people consider what message it sends.
"They're making people think we're nerds and it's absolutely horrible," he explained to BBC. "It's making me feel sad and upset, and if I find it offensive there'll be thousands of people around the world that find it offensive too."
The child started a petition to redesign the emoji to have thinner frames and a more generic smile.
Meme examples
More emoji memes:
- The ‘donatella VERSACE 💜’ purple heart meme returns
- Blue Emoji memes: a chronicle
- When the function got the Rubbing Hands Emoji…
- The origins of the Holy Moly! emoji
- The origins of the AHA, URETHRA!! meme
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