The Fascinating World of Emojis: More than Just Smileys and Thumbs-Up ??

Emojis have become the format of choice for expressing emotions and thoughts across a range of digital platforms. Did you know that 92% of online conversations now contain emojis? In this article, we explore the origin, meaning, and influence of emojis in digital communication.

The Origin of Emojis ??

Using pictures to show feelings has existed for millennia, but the way we do it today has a fascinating history. Originally known as emoticons, early computer users had few ways to convey emotions in text, so they used ASCII art and simple face symbols like :-) and :-D.

There was also a trend for using various faces in text messages on early mobile phones to clarify meaning, and even for creating surprisingly intricate works of art with the limited characters then available. Interestingly, the nose (-) in smiley faces like :-) gradually vanished, possibly to make typing easier or as emojis became sufficiently understood that it became redundant.

As the popularity of emoticons grew, shortcuts started appearing to make them, and their use became the norm in text messages.

Emojis, a combination of the Japanese words e (‘picture’), mo (‘write’) and ji (‘character’), originated in the late 1990s. To overcome the challenges of sending images in a less advanced digital landscape, SoftBank created a collection of small pictograms based on designs by Shigetaka Kurita.

Later, as smartphones began to appear, other tech firms, Apple included, joined in to meet their users' demand. In 2010, emojis were standardised under Unicode, which meant they could be used and viewed cross-platform, albeit with some design variations.

The Anatomy of Emojis

Computer scientists at the University of Hannover have identified various features that distinguish emojis. Their design changes depending on the device and platform you're using. For instance, a 'heart' emoji may look different on Android compared to iPhone. Emojis come in various categories, like people ????, body parts ??, vehicles ??, and food ??.

The designs are also evolving to include more diverse skin and hair colours. Today, with the exponential growth of international business and social media, emojis have become an essential part of online communication.

This is especially true of X (i.e. Twitter), where the number of characters available to express ideas is strictly limited.

How New Emojis Are Born ??

New emojis don’t just randomly appear on our keyboards. On the Unicode website, three main criteria are outlined that a new emoji must meet:

1. It must be easily recognisable as a small image.
2. It must convey a unique meaning that existing emojis don't capture.
3. There must be a clear user demand and need for it.

Every year, Unicode reviews and releases a set of new emojis based on these guidelines and user submissions.

The Power of Meaning ??

Just like words, emojis carry subtle meanings. In 2015, the 'Face with Tears of Joy' emoji (??) was even named Word of the Year by the Oxford Dictionary, highlighting its impact on popular culture.

Seemingly uncontentious, the use of emojis has become a hotly debated topic, with emojis being criticised and even banned for being insufficiently (or alternatively too) diverse, overly passive-aggressive, and even containing cryptic extremist messages!

Surprisingly, despite only existing for a few decades, there is also a generation gap in their use, with younger people having quite different emoji values to their parents.