[khalilravanna]

I think the intent when using those emojis is to communicate that they really are trying to be nice while giving negative news. Text is a really hard medium to convey emotion or intent through. For example, I find if I want to sound positive I end up having to add an exclamation point at the end of every sentence (“Nice job.” Vs “Nice job!”)

That all being said, I absolutely agree the emojis almost always are perceived in a way that’s opposite of the intent, e.g. smug, sarcastic, or some other negative tone.