◀️
Reverse Button
ri-VURS BUH-tn
Definitions
1
Media · Controls
Common
A button symbol indicating backward movement, typically used to represent rewind or return to previous content in media players and digital interfaces.
Commonly used in discussions about media playback, navigation, or when referring to going back to previous content.
Hit ◀️ to go back to the beginning of the song.
Messaging about music playback
Derived from physical media players, this symbol maintains its meaning across digital platforms as a universal navigation element.
2
Navigation · Direction
Common
Represents leftward movement or direction, often used metaphorically to indicate returning to previous states, locations, or topics.
Used in casual conversation to suggest going back, returning, or reversing course.
Let's go ◀️ to what we were discussing earlier.
Conversation redirection
In left-to-right reading cultures, the leftward direction inherently suggests backward movement or regression.
Cultural Context
The reverse button's design has remained consistent from analog tape players to digital streaming services, representing one of the most enduring interface symbols across technological eras.
While primarily a functional symbol, it occasionally appears in digital conversations as a metaphor for regression or returning to previous topics.
Generational Usage
Gen_X: Strong association with physical media devices; used functionally in digital contexts.
Gen_Z: Used functionally in media contexts with occasional metaphorical usage in casual conversation.
Older: Familiar from traditional media devices; limited metaphorical usage in digital communication.
Millennials: Primarily functional usage with recognition of its origin in physical media players.
Common Combinations
◀️⏹️
Stop and return to beginning of media content.
Common control combination in digital media interfaces.
◀️▶️
Indicates cycling between forward and backward movement.
Used to suggest indecision or alternating between options.