World Emoji Day: Celebrating the Symbols of Digital Communication

On July 17, we celebrate World Emoji Day, honouring the diverse range of symbolic images used in digital communication. Before emojis, emoticons (emotion + icon) were created to express emotions in text. Shigetaka Kurita coined the term "emoji," a Japanese idiom meaning "picture word," in the 1990s. While employed by NTT Docomo, Kurita created these graphic phrases to appeal to teenagers using pagers.

The Evolution of Emojis

World Emoji Day recognises the vital role of emoticons in modern communication. These concise, emotive icons have become essential in digital interactions, quickly conveying thoughts and emotions. Emojis add a level of emotion and clarity to text messages and social media posts that words alone often cannot. Billions of emojis are exchanged daily, showcasing their widespread use and adaptability. The ever-growing collection, updated regularly on Emojipedia.org, includes over 1800 emojis spanning a wide range of topics from emotions to transportation, cuisine, animals, and social media.

Historical Background

Emoticons used in text messages and online conversations laid the foundation for emojis. The 1995 Pocket Bell pager's heart sign is often considered the initial emoji. Inspired by Japanese comics, Shigetaka Kurita created the first set of emojis in 1999. Initially available only in Japan, these emojis were later added to the Unicode standard, making them widely usable. Emojis' popularity surged in 2007 when Apple added them to the iPhone. In 2015, different skin tones were introduced to promote inclusivity and diversity. Once an Asian phenomenon, emojis are now integral to global digital communication. Celebration emojis express joy for occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, and births.

Emojis and Emotional Expression

Emojis are colourful ideographs resembling faces or other objects like food, animals, and hand signals. They often supplement written language, replacing non-verbal communication cues like body language, facial expressions, and voice tone. Facial pictographs specifically facilitate emotional communication, enhancing the expression of emotional states and feelings.