Emojis. We all use them, and they have quickly become an integral part of texting culture. Without them, how could we convey sarcasm, or humor, or let someone know that we aren't being serious in the message we just sent? It is so easy for misunderstandings to occur in our world of online communication, and the invention of emoticons has made a significant impact in translating emotions and meaning to the messages we send each and every day.
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In hearing about the history of emojis through a class presentation, I learned that the first ever emoticon was used by a computer scientist, Scott E. Fahlman, in 1979. He figured out a way to represent a smiley and frowning face in what we now consider a more old-school way :-) or :-(. He understood that messages lacked "emotional context" and was in search of a solution. A few years later, in 1988, a full, but very simple, set of keyboard emojis was released in Japan. Eventually, emojis were adapted to be used on a mobile phone and Apple specifically launched their emoji set in 2011.
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I especially found fascinating the concept of how emojis have become part of our culture and add to a new level of emotional intelligence. Emojis are thought of as a universal language in conveying emotions, bridging any sort of cultural divide in other ways of expressing emotion. We have even personalized and expanded upon emojis to be inclusive of various skin tones as well as other diversifying characteristics, creating representation in what may seem like a minuscule area of technology, but is indeed important for promoting inclusivity and self-expression.
In listening to this presentation, I gained not only an understanding of the invention of emoticons, but also how the original concept developed over time into the thousands of emojis that we have today. It is interesting for me to think about what online communication would be like without emojis, since it's all I've ever known, and also to think about the ways in which emojis have enhanced the way we communicate overall.
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