The number of emojis we use daily is incalculable. Have you ever wondered what they mean and why they have gained so much prominence?
Emojis are phrases summarized in a visual expression with such a conceptual load that they manage to replace gestures, tones of voice and even inflections that are used on a daily basis.
More and more brands take advantage of them to interact with their customers, generating a more relaxed and close bond. Learn more about the origin of emojis below.
What is an emoji?
The word “emoji” comes from Japanese and is a conjunction of the terms “drawing” and “written character”, which is what they literally are: characters transformed into small color drawings that are pasted on a text.
Emojis have been around since 1995, although the first set to become popular was created in 1999 by designer Shigetaka Kurita, for the Japanese phone company NTT DoCoMo. This group of characters took symbolic elements that already existed in Japanese culture, such as , a writing system based on logos and images.
During its first years of life, emojis were exclusive to Japan and were closely linked to its customs and traditions. With the passage of time and its incorporation into the standard, the catalog was periodically expanded, adding symbols, gestures and popular expressions from different cultures.
Emojis can now be chosen from a wide range that includes facial expressions, different skin tones, professions, movement indicators, objects, historical places, plants, animals, national flags, symbols and more.
Virtual interaction platforms provide their users with a personalized set of emojis. The drawings and their meanings vary slightly and are used in different ways.
For example, on LinkedIn, the thumbs up emoji is used as a reaction to posts and means “Recommend”, applause is “Celebrate”, hand with a heart is “Support”, the classic red heart means “Love” and then there are two more reactions: “Interesting” —the light bulb emoji— and “Curiosity”, which is a face showing intrigue.
Facebook allows similar reactions for posts, while Instagram only has the red heart to “Like” or “Like” a post.
Beyond the reactions that each application offers, the use given to emojis when generating content is very similar in all social networks and instant messaging services.
Next, we share a list with some of the most used emojis in two of the most popular applications of the moment: Instagram and LinkedIn.
emoji for instagram
The most popular emojis on Instagram are also popular in other applications such as WhatsApp and Twitter. These are some of the most used:
- 😭: At first glance, this emoji may seem to indicate deep sadness. However, many people use it to demonstrate a cry of joy.
- 😂: the laughing face par excellence.
- ✨: Sparkles are used to give a touch of glamor or to show a lot of emotion.
- ❤️: the classic symbol of love.
- 🥺: The “dog eyes” emoji is often used both to communicate concern.
- 🤣: laughing emoji.
- 🔥: This fire symbol is usually associated with transmitting good energy.
- 😍: Heart eyes are used to show admiration and enthusiasm.
- 🥰: The “cloud of hearts” emoji expresses affection and trust.
- 🙏: This is one of the most used emoticons to say thank you.
Emoji for LinkedIn
After analyzing 2.932 million emojis, from 4.6 million publications in 30 languages and from 183 countries, the Marketing Doctor Pierre-Nicolas Schwab, director of the agency, defined the top 20 emojis on LinkedIn and here We present the ranking of the most used:
- 👉, got 4.9% of the votes
- ✅, 3.38%
- 👇, 3.30%
- ➡️, 2.19%
- ✔️, 1.95%
- 🚀, 1.62%
- 🙏, 1.56%
- 👍, 1.50%
- 😉, 1.36%
- 👏, 1.35%
- 💪, 1.35%
- ❤️, 1.32%
- 🔥, 1.28%
- 😊, 1.19%
- 💡, 1.01%
- ✨, 0.94%
- 📌, 0.90%
- 📍, 0.90%
- 🤔, 0.87%
- ⬇️, 0.85%
Find out more about this social network:
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Why are emojis used?
Because they serve to give a more exact meaning in written communication. With them you can express feelings in a simple and fast way, without having to write long texts. In addition, they allow you to play with irony, something that is not so easy to convey in writing.
Emojis also bring people closer together because they build empathy and effectively guide interpretation.
Likewise, these are symbols that allow communication in a relaxed way, reducing the coldness that a text message, e-mail or written post can transmit.
However, many emojis do not mean exactly what they represent. Therefore, you have to be careful and know which ones to send, to whom and in what context.
Until recently, the use of emojis in the workplace was considered “unprofessional”. It remains the case in specific situations, such as submitting a resume for a job, negotiating a raise, or dealing with investors.
However, when it comes to communication between peers and through social networks, companies are increasingly betting on the use of emojis.
In the first case, because work dynamics are changing and many firms choose to create a more relaxed and flexible environment for their employees. In the second, because they humanize the link with the followers.
Tips for using emoji
Some of these tips can help you take advantage of emojis in your next virtual interactions:
- Be clear about your goals. Analyze whether or not the use of emojis would help you achieve your goals. Perhaps it is not the ideal moment, it is not consistent with the situation or it confuses more than it clarifies.
- I know your audience. They may not understand your emojis or give them a different meaning than the one you wanted to convey. In either case, it is best to use the same shade.
- Combine the best of both worlds. Adding emojis to your texts involves more production and editing time. It is necessary to check that they are fulfilling the desired function and that they facilitate understanding. The text is still vital, do not downplay it: the key is in the balance between resources.
- Organize your practice. If you are going to incorporate emojis, it is best that you do it in an orderly and coherent way. You can select the ones that seem most related to your brand and encourage your followers to associate them with you.
- Try to learn. The best way to know if they work for you is to test them. You can see if posts with emojis generate more reactions than those with only text, or analyze the click-through rate of your emails with emojis in the subject line. You can also test how well they work in one-on-one interactions, through WhatsApp or direct messages from social networks.
In conclusion, emojis can help you generate closer and warmer communication with your followers. Incorporating them in your messages, posts and stories allows you to humanize your voice on social networks and generate a friendlier contact with your community.
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