The three greatest feats of humankind are Neil Armstrong landing on the moon, Steve Harvey hosting “Family Feud,” and the creation of the emoji.
Let’s be honest ― not including an emoji in a text is downright rude. Sending a big smiley face and a screen full of hearts is more effective than saying, “I love you,” right?
Who has time to type words when there is an emoticon right there that expresses exactly how you feel? Even Facebook has caught on to the movement, which is why you can now use emoticons to react to statuses and posts.
So, if you aren’t speaking emoticon, what are you doing on Earth? And how was your trip from Mars?
Being an alien is one thing, but sticking out like a sore thumb because you don’t speak “emoji” is simply unacceptable. So if you want to blend in and learn more about the emoticon language, you might want to continue reading.
Japan-1, the rest of the world-0
Like all things great, the emoji outbreak started in Japan. According to iemoji.com, in 1999, cellphone users started to use picture messages to communicate. Pictures consume more space than texts, and cellphone companies were already struggling to keep up with their growing user base. Basically, the cellphone companies in Japan freaked out and asked engineers to create something that would reduce the amount of picture messages being used.
Therefore, the ingenious engineers found a way to add commonly used emoticons in text messages. Instead of using pictures that were hard to send and could block servers, you could use a small emoji and save the cellphone company’s butt and your phone bill. That is what scientists call a “win-win” situation.
Different countries speak with different types of emojis
While emoji language is widely used across the world, each country has its favorite type of emoji. According to The Huffington Post, a study found that the gun, knife and peach emojis are most popular in Canada, while Australians prefer to use emojis that allude to partying and having a good time. Who would have thought that Canadians are using the gun emoji more than Americans? Go figure.
The Huffington Post also reported that Americans use female-oriented emojis like makeup and clothing, the eggplant emoji and meat emojis more than any other country. That assortment of emojis clearly depict what Americans value more than anything. If you can go a day without hearing anything about food, sex and feminism, then you’re probably not in America.
Kim Kardashian + emojis + millions of dollars = Kimoji
Unbelievably, Kim Kardashian has found a way to make emojis all about herself with her Kimoji app. The app has an assortment of emoticons, which include heart-shaped pizzas, birth control, Kim’s famous derriere, and her dancing on a pole.
Kudos to Kim for making sure that her app truly reflects who she is. Regardless of whether you like her, so many people downloaded the app upon its release that it crashed the app store.
The success of the Kimoji app prompted other celebrities to create their own emojis. Rap superstars such as Future and Fetty Wap have released their own emoji apps, but these apps have not amassed the same type success as the Kimoji.
Despite Kimoji’s popularity, it has yet to be more popular than the traditional emojis found on your phone. It’s safe to say that traditional emoji will stand the test of time.
If you need clarifications, check the “Emojipedia”
No matter how much you think you know what some emojis mean, you will find someone who has a different meanings for them. So, if you want to be that person to crush someone in a “define this emoji” duel, you can go over to emojipedia.org and equip yourself with the proper definitions. For example, (insert emoji) is a grimacing face, not an awkward smile. And this emoji, (insert emoji), means that you are disappointed but relieved.
Look at you, already learning more emoji lingo than you could ever dream of.
The do’s and don’ts of emojis
There are two simple rules in using emojis:
- Don’t use too many. Don’t be that person who replaces every word in the text with an emoji. It’s annoying, and no one has the time to decipher your text. Remember that emojis are supposed to make life easier.
- Make sure your emojis fit the setting and make sense. According to time.com, emoji users prefer linear time and action. So try to ensure that your emojis can be read from left to right and make sense in that order.
Emoji’s are going nowhere anytime soon, so get used to using them, and use them well.
