The idea of adding emoticons to text messages is not new – cast your minds back to the now primitive ‘colon-bracket’ combination. But with Apple’s introduction of the emoji came a new wave of emoticon messaging, one which just keeps on growing.
Each iOS update brings with it a fresher, larger set of the loveable emojis. So just how are these little guys being used, and have they changed the way we communicate?
Apple’s emojis have become a staple part of smartphone conversations. They lighten the mood, and make it easier than ever to display feelings which at one time were difficult to express virtually. Said something sarcastic? A winking face or a ‘100’ gets the point across. Never again do you need to worry about being taken too seriously.
They’re also there to help finish up conversations you’re tired with. If the person you’re talking to just has to have the final say, let them down easily with a couple of cry-laughing faces and get on with your day. Entire conversations can be carried out in emojis – it’s true, there are apps aplenty for it.
But it’s not just one-on-one conversations which have changed, emojis have had a serious impact on the world of social media as well. According to visual marketing firm Curalate, emojis were used as hashtags on Instagram nearly six-and-a-half million times in just one month. [link on word ‘Curalate’ to CSNBC article: http://www.cnbc.com/2015/06/05/this-is-the-most-used-emoji-on-instagram.html] It was the red heart that was used most (over half a million times), with a variety of faces rounding off the top eight.
This isn’t a surprise. Apple works hand-in-hand with social media [link on ‘hand-in-hand’ to appplemagazine.com article: https://applemagazine.com/over-1500-newly-designed-emojis-hitting-facebook-messenger/29674] and their emojis help us get across the mood of what we’re trying to say. They are even being used to make big lifetime announcements. The iOS 10.2 update introduced the pregnant female emoji, which is no doubt going to help declare the expectation of many 2017 babies.
But arguably the most remarkable thing that Apple has done through its emojis is introduce a level of diversity unmatched by any of their competitors. Each software update adds new jobs and lifestyles, all represented by both male and female characters. For over two years, it’s been possible to select the skin tone of every character, choose from a variety of different cultural representatives and find family portraits of both heterosexual and same-sex couples. There is even a huge selection of flags to choose from, creating a communication platform that can truly be used globally.
And this is the main crux of what Apple has created. Through their cute characters, they’ve strived to include everybody – to be as diverse as they are popular. No other platform is at once so widely used and so representative, and this creates the ultimate communication.
Written by Nick Cairns
