Engagement, Emojis, and Generation Rent: Decoding Today’s Consumer World

Brands frequently use emojis when communicating with their consumers, but which ones actually work? We analyzed 91,104 social media posts from nine global brands and found that "social" emojis (such as ❤️) and "non-social" emojis (such as✨) show different patterns of consumer engagement with the brand’s content (i.e., likes, replies, reposts). Surprisingly, brands often use the wrong type at the wrong time. This talk unpacks when each emoji type is associated with higher engagement and why.

Owning a home has long been seen as the ultimate goal for a stable life—but what happens when an entire generation is locked out of the housing market? Meet Generation Rent: young people navigating instability, rising costs, and long-term renting of shared spaces. My research explores how Generation Rent rethinks home ownership—not just as something to acquire, but created through shared spaces, communities, and home-making practices. For many, the dream of owning a home is shifting to collective alternatives like co-buying and co-living as traditional ownership becomes less attainable.