Do you like to chat on QQ, WeChat and other messaging services? Do you have pet peeves in other people’s lack of “netiquette”? A People’s Daily online survey has revealed a list of the most objectionable expressions and emoticons in online communication of 2013. The worst expression is “阿阿” (oh) as it is perceived as dismissive or non-committal. Overuse of a similar expression “哦” even sparked a break-up in one case, Sanxiang Metropolis Daily reports.
The survey revealed that the four worst expressions are “哦”、“呵呵” and “额”、all of which roughly mean “oh” and the expression “你懂的” which means “you get it.” The four most annoying emoticons are the smily face, nose-picking, feces, and the one that symbolises lecherousness.
The most annoying emoticons.
A survey by Sanxiang Weekend on Jan. 6 produced slightly, but only slightly, different results. 40% of netizens thought “哦” was the most annoying expression and 60% thought the smily face was the most annoying emoticon.
One WeChat user “叶呆呆” (Ye Daidai) claimed to have left her boyfriend three months ago because of his overuse of the word “哦” in online communications. She is now back with the boyfriend, but if he uses the word again he will be back out the door, she told the survey.
Another WeChat user “匪夷所思” (Feiyi Suosi) told the survey: “The mere sight of the smily face emoticon makes me pull my hair out.” The user’s real name is Sun Haoxin and when he sees it in his job as a web designer he feels that it is more likely to be sarcastic than encouraging.
Another user named “菲尔” (fei’er) told the survey that use of the smiley face suggested a perfunctory and impatient attitude. The user said that he stops chatting with people when he sees them use it.
So what are your netiquette pet peeves? Are you ever guilty of these sins?