diff --git a/frontend/src/components/MapChat/NewMessage.js b/frontend/src/components/MapChat/NewMessage.js
index f0cc80a4..2046ac9f 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/MapChat/NewMessage.js
+++ b/frontend/src/components/MapChat/NewMessage.js
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import React, { PropTypes, Component } from 'react'
 import { Emoji, Picker } from 'emoji-mart'
-import Util from '../../Metamaps/Util'
 
 class NewMessage extends Component {
   constructor(props) {
@@ -15,10 +14,6 @@ class NewMessage extends Component {
     this.setState({ showEmojiPicker: !this.state.showEmojiPicker })
   }
 
-  textAreaValue = () => {
-    return Util.addEmoji(this.props.messageText)
-  }
-
   handleClick = (emoji, event) => {
     const { messageText } = this.props
     this.props.handleChange({ target: {
@@ -44,7 +39,7 @@ class NewMessage extends Component {
         <div className="extra-message-options">
           <span className="emoji-picker-button" onClick={this.toggleEmojiPicker}><Emoji size={24} emoji="upside_down_face" /></span>
         </div>
-        <textarea value={this.textAreaValue()}
+        <textarea value={this.props.messageText}
           onChange={this.props.handleChange}
           {...this.props.textAreaProps}
         />