I often feel similarly, but I could say the same about "IMO" - they're just conventions, and as such, are entirely subjective and without intrinsic value.

If I were forced to choose between people obnoxiously enjoying a sense of community through styles of communication I don't personally identify with, or people behaving "properly" by communicating in a conventionally acceptable way that is more familiar to me, I'm pretty sure I'd go with the former every time.

In a lot of cases, I'd actually argue that recent generations' use of irony is part of a more sophisticated or complex form of humour (and even communication) that has been spurred by some of the less wonderful aspects of growing up today. I have no doubt that a lot of it is superficial, and anti-intellectualism is definitely a credible threat, but there is often more going on than what one might assume: consider, the people using the emojis will be the first to tell you they don't really like emojis.

Meh. Not everyone is good at writing. Personally, I prefer the clap emoji to people using quotation marks for emphasis.

And then there are the people who double-space after a full stop like it's 1914 — give 'em the chair, I say.