Emoji, the adorable little pictograms that have made our digital communication a bit more colorful and lively, were first created in 1999 by Japanese designer Shigetaka Kurita. Kurita aimed to improve the ability to convey feelings in text-based messages. This impulse led to the development of a new, popular and playful artistic medium. The original set of emoji was only 176 emoji, but they took off almost immediately in Japan and soon became a global phenomenon.
As of September 2024, the Unicode Standard has grown to include 3,790 emoji. This tremendous growth is indeed a testament to how digital communication continues to expand and change. Furthermore, a draft list of 164 new emoji candidates is under consideration for approval by the Unicode Consortium, with a decision expected in September 2025. If all of them are approved, the grand total would be 3,954 emoji.
World Emoji Day, observed each year on July 17, recognizes the cultural influence of these small symbols. The date, September 30th, is amusingly depicted by the new calendar emoji 📅. Founded in 2014, this day has turned into a worldwide celebration of emoji’s contribution to making our digital interactions more colorful and expressive. To mark the occasion, Apple News+ just released an interactive digital puzzle game to celebrate Emoji Game.
Dr. Helen Riess, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, has commented on the emotional significance of emoji in communication. She notes that “a skillful emoji can act almost like a stop sign.” According to this metaphor, emoji have a power to stop bad behavior in its tracks by making users think twice about how they’re communicating.
Interestingly, emoji usage can have a positive impact on how individuals are perceived through digital channels, according to the PLOS ONE study. Riess emphasizes this point by stating, “They may be small, but emoji are doing some heavy lifting when it comes to human connection.” It’s no secret emoji are an effective communicative tool, allowing users to inject tone, emotion, and personality into otherwise bland and monochrome digital communiqués.
