I get that, but it still distracts from the actual conversations or people. I don't need stuff constantly moving. I guess the difference is that if its an in-person situation, then stuff moving around me is normal, but on screen it localizes everything to a small area: the screen. I also find animated stuff annoying in Discord channels and such, something I don't use for work, only for fun.

I dunno. I haven't tried it. For me, when I'm in a social situation (virtual or in person), I'm there for the people and want to focus on them, not some animated emoji. I can do those on my own.