World Emoji Day

In today's digital age, communication is faster and more convenient than ever, and emojis are at the heart of this revolution. With over 90% of online users incorporating emojis to express themselves, these tiny icons have become a significant part of our online language.

Did you know that July 17th is dedicated to celebrating these beloved symbols? World Emoji Day, established by Jeremy Burge, the founder of Emojipedia-a comprehensive resource for everything emoji-honours these essential elements of digital communication.

The choice of this date is quite clever on iOS keypads, the calendar emoji displays July 17, making it a fitting selection for World Emoji Day.

World Emoji Day History

The evolution of emojis has transformed simple text-based messages into expressive exchanges. The journey began in the 1980s with basic text-based emoticons like ":-)" and ":-(." In 1999, a Japanese designer created the first set of emojis for a mobile company, leading to their global adoption.

In 2007, a software internationalization team at Google petitioned the Unicode Consortium, a nonprofit organization that maintains text standards across computers, to recognize emojis.

Emojis began gaining popularity worldwide, and in 2011, Apple added an official emoji keyboard to iOS, making them accessible in many countries. Over time, emojis have continued to evolve and expand to include representations of people, cultures, different skin tones, genders, and family structures. Today, thousands of emojis are available, representing everything from animals to food to flags.

World Emoji Day Significance

In the era of social media, emojis play a significant role on platforms like Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and WhatsApp. They not only influence our daily lives but also enhance communication by allowing us to express feelings without words. Emojis have a cultural impact, conveying various emotions, concepts, and ideas, with meanings that can vary based on context and culture. These tiny digital icons enable us to communicate more effectively.