Visual narrative unfolds through emoji evolution's growth and symbolism
World Emoji Day, a global celebration of the digital symbols that enrich online communication, is observed annually on July 17. Established in 2014 by Jeremy Burge, founder of Emojipedia, this day marks the date shown on the calendar emoji (📅), originally linked to Apple's iCal app launch on July 17, 2002.
The history of emojis can be traced back to the late 1990s when the first emoji set was created by Shigetaka Kurita, a Japanese designer working for a mobile company. Kurita designed an initial set of 176 emojis as a fun and simple way to add emotion and nuance to digital messages, which quickly gained popularity in Japan and eventually spread globally.
Since then, emojis have evolved into a universal language of visual communication, with thousands of characters included in the Unicode Standard as of 2024. The Unicode Consortium, which standardizes text characters across platforms, continues to approve new emojis regularly. As of now, there are over 3,000 emojis, with over 1,600 representing people, covering various expressions, skin tones, genders, flags, and combinations.
The widespread use of emojis has been found to impact online engagement significantly. For instance, Instagram posts that use emojis have seen increased engagement rates by 48%. Similarly, Google My Business Posts get twice the amount of clicks when there are emojis used, and using emojis in the subject line of emails increases the unique click rate by 28%.
A study by Nethunt found that about 44% of users prefer to purchase products that have been advertised using emojis. This preference for emojis extends to personal communication as well, with 50% of people preferring to respond to messages if there is an emoji included.
The cultural impact and ongoing evolution of emojis in modern communication are highlighted during World Emoji Day. For instance, in 2021, the Loudly Crying Emoji dethroned Tears of Joy as Twitter's top emoji. Moreover, the use of the syringe emoji has been greatly increasing since December 2020, reflecting the changing contexts in which emojis are used.
Interestingly, 61 percent of people use emojis at work, and 49.7% of people use emojis as they help create a personal connection with people. However, 48% of netizens prefer emojis over typed-out shortcuts, according to Statistica.
World Emoji Day serves as a reminder of the importance of emojis in modern communication, not just as a fun addition but as a tool that helps people express emotions creatively and effectively. As the Unicode Consortium continues to approve new emojis, it is clear that the digital language of emojis will continue to evolve and play a significant role in our online interactions.
- World Emoji Day, observed annually on July 17, is a global celebration that acknowledges the crucial role emojis play in enhancing online communication.
- The widespread preference for emojis in advertising, as found by a study by Nethunt, shows that about 44% of users prefer goods promoted using emojis.
- In the domain of business, 61 percent of people use emojis at work, creating a personal connection with their colleagues, according to a statistic by Statistica.
- Technology companies like Netflix have embraced the growing significance of emojis, as ingrained in modern communication and lifestyle, to engage their audiences effectively.
