How many times a day do you send a quick text message and end it with a cute smiley face or other quirky emoji? These fun little graphics are pervasive in society today and help us to communicate emotions and reactions. However, where did the idea of an emoticon originate from? Back in 1979, computer scientist Scott E. Falhman created the first widely used emoji which was created with a colon, dash mark, and a parenthesis, the direction depending on if you wanted the emotion to portray happiness or sadness. Later in 1988, Japan released the first full keyboard set of over 100 emojis, beginning the worldwide emoji spread. Since the launch of this emoji set, they have continued to grow and evolve, with new emojis continuing to be released every year. As of September, 2024, there are over 3,700 available emojis.
Emojis are most commonly used to express emotions, which can be helpful when interpreting text messages which has become a more popular mode of communication than phone calls. Additionally, emojis have been found to help build emotional intelligence, which in turn can result in increased self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, social skills, and improved mental health.
Lastly, emojis are inclusive, allowing everyone to participate in this universal language. What originated in Japan is now utilized daily around the world, allowing for people of every background to understand and interpret these graphics in the same universal manner. The large variety of emojis allows for self-expression and customization of text messages, enhancing this form of communication.
The next time that you use an emoji, I challenge you to stop, pause, and reflect on why you chose that particular emoji. What message are you hoping to send? Why does this emoji fit better in the message as opposed to one of the other 3,000? This presentation opened my eyes to the daily communication form that I have taken for granted, and helped me to better understand the origin and intention behind these small emoticons.
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