A short video in which a 22-year-old man gives his parents a tutorial on how to use iMessage's emphasis feature has gone viral and touched off a heated online discussion about what two exclamation points mean in a text.
Jason Saperstone of New York City recorded himself walking his parents, Nancy and Pete, through a PowerPoint he made after becoming frustrated with how they used iMessage effects. In the clip he tells them there are only three appropriate times to use the emphasis — the two-exclamation-point animation that can be applied when a message is held down: when you agree with what someone is saying, when you are in the same situation as someone, or when someone is ignoring your message and you want attention.
Saperstone uses a concrete example in the video: a message from his mother that read, "I'm at a bar with Alex Cooper." He questioned why she had emphasized that text, saying the effect implies that the sender shares the situation or strongly agrees, not simply that the sender is excited. Nancy defended her use of the emphasis, saying she meant to convey excitement for her son.
"Mom and dad, I love you but you need to get better at texting," Saperstone tells his parents in the clip. He closes his presentation with a slide advising users to pause before applying emphasis and to default to a thumbs-up reaction when appropriate.
The video prompted a wide range of responses after being posted online. Some viewers sided with Saperstone’s attempt to systematize the effect, others said they used emphasis differently — as a shorthand for surprise or enthusiasm — and still others said generational differences in digital shorthand make firm rules impractical. Actress Reese Witherspoon commented on the post, writing, "Gosh, I have been doing all of this incorrectly for a WHILE." Other commenters described learning something new, while some defended the mother’s interpretation.
Saperstone told the Today show that his parents "text with such good intentions" but do not always grasp newer messaging features. He said Gen Z has created a set of conventions around digital communication that older users sometimes misapply. The exchange highlights how small interface features and emoji-like reactions can carry different meanings across age groups and social circles.
Apple’s iMessage offers a range of reaction effects when a message is pressed, including thumbs up, question mark and two exclamation points; how users choose among those options has become part of online debates about tone, intent and etiquette in brief, text-based exchanges. The viral discussion underscores the continuing evolution of digital manners as platforms add expressive tools that are interpreted differently by senders and recipients.