The first set of Emojis were originally created in 1999 by Japanese artist Shigetaka Kurita and included icons for the weather, traffic, technology and time.

Emojis have become an essential part of our digital communication. These small icons are used to express emotions, convey ideas, and add context to our messages. They have become so popular that Oxford Dictionaries named the “Face with Tears of Joy” emoji the Word of the Year in 2015. Since then, emojis have only continued to gain popularity and are now ubiquitous in digital communication. In this article, we will explore the power of emojis and how they are changing the digital landscape.

The Rise of Emojis

Emojis were first created in 1999 by Japanese designer Shigetaka Kurita. Kurita designed the first set of emojis to be used in a mobile messaging app to help users convey emotions in a more concise way. However, it wasn’t until the rise of smartphones that emojis truly took off. Apple added emojis to its iOS operating system in 2011, and since then, they have become a staple in digital communication.

The Power of Emojis

Emojis have become so popular because they allow people to convey emotions and ideas in a way that words alone cannot. As humans, we rely heavily on nonverbal communication to convey emotions, and emojis help to bridge the gap in digital communication. They allow us to add context to our messages, convey sarcasm or irony, and express emotions that are difficult to put into words. In fact, research has shown that using emojis in digital communication can actually increase empathy and help build stronger relationships.

Emojis have also become an important part of marketing and advertising. Brands have recognized the power of emojis in connecting with their audience and have started to incorporate them into their marketing campaigns. For example, Chevrolet created an entire press release using only emojis to promote their new car, the Cruze.

The Future of Emojis

As the use of emojis continues to grow, the possibilities for their use are endless. In fact, new emojis are constantly being created to keep up with the demand. In 2021, the Unicode Consortium, the organization responsible for creating emojis, announced the release of 217 new emojis. These new emojis include a heart on fire, a face with spiral eyes, and a woman with a beard, among others.

With the rise of augmented and virtual reality, emojis are also becoming more interactive. Companies are starting to create personalized emojis that can be used in virtual reality environments, adding a new layer of expression to digital communication.

Emojis have become an essential part of our digital communication, allowing us to convey emotions and ideas in a way that words alone cannot. They have changed the way we communicate online and have become an important part of marketing and advertising. As their popularity continues to grow, we can expect to see even more creative and interactive ways to use emojis in the future.