Hardly there is any day when we do not use emojis along with the text messages sent through social media. Owing to the extensive use of emojis, digital communication in recent times has become faster and more convenient than ever. Thus, World Emoji Day was founded to acknowledge the role of emojis in communication through social media. World Emoji Day, celebrated annually on July 17, is a day dedicated to the fun and expressive icons that have become integral to modern communication. From smiley faces to hearts and from food items to flags, emojis transcend language barriers and add colour and emotion to our digital conversations. World Emoji Day 2024 falls on Wednesday, that is, July 17. While celebrating these small, colourful icons, we’ll delve into some amazing and fun facts about emoji you were unaware of.

World Emoji Day was founded by Jeremy Burge, the creator of Emojipedia, in 2014. The date, July 17, was chosen because it is famously displayed on the calendar emoji on iOS keypads. Over the years, World Emoji Day has grown in popularity, with social media platforms, tech companies, and users worldwide joining in to celebrate their favourite icons. In this article, we’ll learn about five amazing and fun facts about emojis.

1. Apple Is Credited for Emoji Popularity

Emojis have existed since 1999, when Japanese designer Shigetaka Kurita created the first emoji for cellphones. However, they weren’t fully embraced by the people until 2012, when Apple released iOS 6. iPhone users quickly learned to activate the emoji keyboard in iOS 6 and added fun smileys and tiny icons to their text messages. Later, Apple introduced animoji (animated emoji) in 2017.

2. Emoji Was Added to Oxford Dictionaries

An emoji craze spread rapidly in 2012 and 2013, when the word ‘emoji’ was added to Oxford Dictionaries in August 2013. Besides, several new words were also added that could only be explained by the internet.

3. New Emoji Are Announced Regularly

New emojis are added constantly. In 2017, the Unicode Consortium finalised 69 new ones, including a vampire, a genie, a mermaid, and many more. New emoji are released each year. In 2018, 157 new emoji were added.

4. The Face With Tears of Joy Emoji Is the Most Popular

People love to use the 'Face With Tears of Joy' emoji to express their laughter. The emoji has topped the list as the most popular emoji used on X (formally known as Twitter). The red heart, the heart eyes face, and the pink heart emoji fall in second, third, and fourth place, respectively, suggesting that people enjoy expressing their love for someone or something online.

5. The World Emoji Award Is Observed Annually

There is a World Emoji Award that is observed annually in July from Emojipedia to highlight what new emoji are loved worldwide, which represent the current moment, and what emoji folks are looking forward to using next. It’s a way to celebrate all things emoji. In 2024, the categories for the award include most popular new emoji, most 2024 emoji, most anticipated emoji, and lifetime achievement.

Emojis have come a long way from their humble beginnings in Japan to becoming a global phenomenon. They have revolutionised the way we communicate, making our digital interactions more expressive and inclusive. As emojis continue to evolve, they will undoubtedly remain a crucial part of our language, bridging gaps and connecting people across cultures and languages.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 17, 2024 11:37 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).