COMMUNICATING WITH EMOJIS
By the end of the 20th century, texting had become a popular form of communication. At that time, cell phones had tiny black-and-white screens and text messages consisted only of words. To graphic designer1 Shigetaka Kurita, the messages looked very boring2. Kurita, who worked for a Japanese cell phone company, wanted to make them look more interesting. In 1999, he succeeded.(lines 1–5)
Kurita was familiar with the symbols used in weather programs on television, such as the symbols for sunshine and rain. Realizing that symbols could also be used in text messages, he designed 176 small ones. He called them emojis, which means "picture symbols" in Japanese. Almost all these emojis were of everyday objects or weather symbols. Only a few were of faces expressing simple emotions like happiness or anger. They became very popular in Japan but were not available in other countries.(lines 6–11)
In 2010, cell phone and computer companies all over the world adopted Kurita's emojis. Since then, thousands more have been added. Nowadays, they are used very frequently – over 10 billion are sent daily. Among the most popular emojis are those of faces and hands. "These emojis represent the facial expressions3, hand gestures4, and tone of voice that you use in face-to-face conversations," explains psychologist William Kelly.(lines 12–16)
However, even the simplest emojis do not mean the same to everyone. "The meaning you give them depends on your age," says Kelly. "When older people see a positive emoji, they read the message as positive. But younger people often use the same emoji sarcastically5, to express the opposite emotion. For example, think of people being asked about a restaurant they went to and texting back positive words and emojis of clapping hands. If those people are older, the emojis mean that they really enjoyed themselves. But younger people might use the same emojis in a way that means the restaurant was actually awful."(lines 17–23)
Research shows that these differences can lead to misunderstandings6 in workplaces where emojis are widely used in communications between employees. One study, for example, found that text messages sent between older and younger office workers often cause confusion when they include emojis. Some companies have therefore begun giving all employees special training to ensure that emojis are only used in a way that is understood by everyone.(lines 24–28)
Anyone who is interested in learning more about the meanings of emojis can visit the Emojipedia website. "This website is constantly updated," says Kelly. "So, if someone sends you a confusing emoji, you can either try Emojipedia – or send that person the emoji of a big red question mark."(lines 29–32)