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Call for questions: EMOJIS (Patreon)

Published:
2023-05-13 19:52:29
Edited:
2023-05-23 19:21:53
Imported:
2026-06
Tags:

Content

The study of writing with pictures is known as Curiology, and we have located an expert in… EMOJIS: what they mean, how they are used, and so much more.

Leave questions below! I am so so so excited. Looking up the definition of “curiology” is what led me to a list of -ologies in 2002, and started this whole dingdang podcast. So this one’s very dear to me.

Aaaaaaah yay,

Ward

Comments

Betsy

Where are the curly ginger girls??

Winnie’s a Witch

why are some emojis cute and some so ugly for no discernible reason

Euan Munro

Is there a maximum amount of emojis that are possible before we run out of codes?

Doctor (almost!) Elder

Since they’re so widely used and recognized, do emojis count an an alphabet or written language of sorts?

Sage Scarberry

Are the hieroglyphics basically just emoji stories?

phinn markson

how does the emoji "board" decide what to include each year? can the average person suggest emojis...how do emojis get to the emoji board for voting/consideration???

Will Clark

What are software recommendations for creating emojis?

sidney

Is there work on (or could there ever be) an AI or translation program that would be able to convert emojis into text and vise-versa? (For more than just the literal meaning of each emoji, but using cultural context to know exactly what the 'nails emoji' means in a queer setting vs someone just posting about getting their nails done.)

Kendall M

Would the different uses for emojis (like how an older person would use a skull emoji to mean death but a younger person uses a skull emoji to mean laughter) be considered different dialects? Or is this a different phenomenon?

Pauline Gaynesbloom

FTQA 🥰 Will we ever see emojis become commonplace in literature? At what point is it just part of our language?

Matt Hirschl

Emojis have been continuously becoming more progressive and accepting of all backgrounds. What are other emojis that you think are most needed to represent the unrepresented?

Kayla Pilcher

Do you get attached to emojis? Like are you sad when generations start saying they are "cringe". I had someone younger than me say the laughing face was cheugy and I was very sad haha!

Jennasis

🤯🎉🎉🤟

Buddy Freakin' Guyerson

First time question asker: at what point will our history be represented solely in poop emojis and eggplants?

Katie Hultman

How have various current events changed emojis? One day will researchers be able to look at our texts and know the general era based on what emojis we used?

Michael Wegman

When did this happen? The thumbs-up is like 95% of my emoji usage!

Kari Henke

Who decides what emojis make it to the keyboard and how do they pick?

Matt Ceccato

What does it take to become an emoji?

Michael Wegman

How soon will politicians start trying to ban emojis for corrupting our young? They should be taught cursive and how to use slide rules instead.

Adam Silk

What emoji would you add if you could add a new one unilaterally?

Andrea

Could we call emojis a form of simplified hieroglyphics since both are pictures that are used to communicate?

Studio Astrig

First time question asker: Does the Unicode Consortium confer with different platforms to make sure all of their designs convey the same meaning?

Lauren N.

When did the eggplant emoji take on its current meaning? When was it introduced? Same questions for the peach.

Kristina Weaver

Are there uniquely regional or cultural uses of certain emojis that you don't see or rarely see outside those regions?

Nina Giacobbe

Are emojis just modern hieroglyphics?

margaret g keehan

FTQA: Are emojis considered a subset of semiotics? Or is semiotics specifically not word- or picture-based (i.e. a tie on the dorm room door means "We're busy in here!"). And I read somewhere that women were better than men at symbol processing. True or flim-flam?

kexi

Why are they so differnet on different platforms? E.g. the 🤓 has recently changed for me in e.g, Whatsapp and to me in completely changes the meaning. But in apple it's still the old one. First: That just screams misunderstanding! Second: How do I get the old one back!

Bel V. Diriazs

How can a mortal submit propositions for new emojis? Can we design them? Or just ask for them? I need specifically an axolotl emoji, haha

Spencer Parks

What is objectively the best emoji?

kexi

Or more concise: has someone looked at how different versions on different platforms lead to misunderstandings? What about misunderstandings between cultures as well? Why is there a 💩

zombot

Is there a reason why the watch, mobile phone, laptop, keyboard, desktop computer, and computer mouse emojis all resemble Apple products, or is it because I only use a MacBook, iPhone & iPad?

Super_Sara

I figure the yellow smiley face themed emojis are based off the original 1960's ish smiley face. Any reason why it was yellow, why we continue to use yellow? Whats the deal with the creepy floating guy? Was there ever an emoji that was deemed too offensive/inappropriate?

Michelle Fox

What are some of the generational differences in how people use emojis? (first time question asker!)

Nicole Kleinman

How alike/ different are they to hieroglyphs?

Sonjabird

Is the happy face the earliest emoji? Is it a universal symbol used by all cultures? Do you know when it first made an appearance in the historical record?

Nick A

How do you get on the consortium that chooses what new emojis get added every year? Why does the poop smile? 💩

Meg Ahern

How do you think the spread of emojis is affecting the way we communicate? I find it hard to hand-write a card now without using any. ;) Also, why do you think there's such a norm of using multiple emojis (3 thumbs-ups, 5 hearts, etc., or a series of different ones) instead of one? How is it similar or different from the practice of using multiple exclamation points when saying something nice? Thank you so much!!! 🙏🙏🙏😍😍

Ann Eby

Do women use emojis more than men, and does using emojis mean you have a higher EQ? (First time question asker and long time listener!)

zombot

Is the "man supervillain" emoji supposed to resemble Mark Hamill's character Cock Knocker in Jay & Silent Bob Strike Back?

zombot

What is the origin of the "Have A Nice Day" smiley face and how/why did it become the basis for all the "basic" emoji faces? Also, when were "emoticons" popular?

zombot

the gun emoji was replaced with a squirt gun, it's the only example I can think of

Violet Sarah

Why are some obvious emojis missing, like a squirrel or a shovel? But other emojis have duplicates, like a paper clip and 2 paper clips?

Michael Swords

How do emojis develop unintended meanings, and do developers think about that phenomenon? For example, the gay community has started to use 🍆 and 🍑 to identify their sexual roles. Drug communities have used 🍦 to suggest they are looking for meth I'm sure there are a ton more that I don't know of, so if you'll excuse me...

Gina Woolsey

How similar or different are emojis and something like pictographs or hieroglyphs? How is it that emojis proper and emoticons represent the same thing but feel really different?

EdNoGG

So maybe not your expertise, but tell me about Wingdings font on Microsoft Word!? Is it anything like writing with hieroglyphics? 🦜🐈🐕🐊🤴🏾🌾

bee

It’s because you use all Apple products. I have an Android as my personal phone, but an iPhone for my work phone, and a PC laptop, and the emojis look different on all of them.

E-Veh-Lease Sanchez

Is there a difference between emoticons and emojis. I use emoticon when referencing symbols like : ) >:) but emojis when talking about actual drawings and images such has 😀🤪☺️. People have told me the terms are interchangeable, but I disagree! Emoticons are what we used on our Nokias and Motorolas pre-Apple!

aa.brown.bb

My Google Pixel will pop up with hybrid emojis if I put certain ones next to each other. Are those pre-drawn, or does some AI do that?

aa.brown.bb

What goes into releasing a new emoji?

Julia Zafiropoulos

Who makes emoji? Who decides what emoji to make? And why/how do they look different on different OS and devices?

Jakin Yang

So I work in as a programmer and website developer and eventually run into emojis a lot - I understand that text characters and emojis are regulated in terms of what actual computer code (UTF) correlates to a given character or emoji but who the heck decides what emojis get added and what they should look like???

Jakin Yang

Also can you interview some of the designers of the emojis?

Heidi Johnstone

Why do I struggle to send messages without emojis now? D: I feel like I need them to make the tone of my message clearer.

Mandy Hobson

What’s the story behind the poop emoji? Was it really supposed to be chocolate ice cream?

Average_pi

What do they do when certain emojis ( cough purple vegetables cough) develop meanings beyond their intended meanings? What are some of the ways people are trying to make emojis more inclusive? Also how do the way emojis are used change depending on age groups? ( I know teenagers use emojis differently then my parents)

Silvia Triverio

What’s wrong with 👍 and 🤣? What are the different perceptions of the tone of emojis across generations?

Jenny Lithvall

🍘🍙 - what is the black box about?

zombot

Good to know, thanks!

zombot

It's nori, a type of dried seaweed used in Japanese cuisine as a wrap for sushi rolls and rice balls (musubi).

wendy Forman

My grandchild very much wants to use a non-binary flag emoji but there are just a few LGBTQ+ flags and symbols.More of these would make the world of emojis much more inclusive.

Mallory Nettleton

What's the vetting process like for picking new emojis? How do you settle on a final design?

Aaron Cooper Swor

Is there an “emoji council” who decides which new emojis get added to our phones? if so, what’s their criteria?

Gregor

Why isn’t there a puppet emoji? Or a mascot emoji? Or a werewolf emoji?!

Greg Walloch

The first 'emojis' I remember were under a Falstaf Beer bottle cap that my neighbor's dad would flip to us as kids to solve while he watched us, drank and worked on cars in the driveway. Where did these pictographs originate?

Jessie Dragon

I was wondering if emojis could be viewed like hieroglyphics too

Keaton Sant

When will it finally be considered "professional" to use emojis in emails because a girl can only use so many explanation marks before I seem insane😭

Mx. Artemisia

How many emojis are there on the average phone?

Doxx

😭 🍑🍆🥜

Krista Jones

Does our tendency to overuse emojis have any negative effects on our ability to communicate, the way we process information, etc.?

Christina Pfaff

FTQA. Are there generational differences in emoji use/favorite emoji? And why is 🤣 the favorite of millennials but hated by Gen Z?

Dr. Lina Carpenter

Adding on to this -- when did we start applying non-obvious codes to specific emojis? (For example, the different colors of heart emojis taking on different meanings.)

Adam Silk

What was the first emoji and when was it created?

Dr. Lina Carpenter

Particularly the Japanese/Chinese kanji characters and symbols with particular meanings -- are those always consistent on every platform?

Dr. Lina Carpenter

I second this (also a first time question asker!) I've heard that the "kiss face" means a TOTALLY different thing for younger kids than adults, and it depends on who it's coming from?

Dr. Lina Carpenter

How can we petition for new emojis? Do they get updated/changed on a regular basis, or is it random? Is there some kind of "emoji board of directors" that determines what emojis get added? (First time question asker!)

Marie

Why why do everyone put different emotions into emoji for me :) that one means i dont really mean to give a smiley, aggressive. While this :D is a good smiley and that is seen as sarcastic by many

Lauren Moore

My eyesight is not great, so I am always concerned I’ll use the wrong, irrelevant, or worse, offensive emoji. I wish you could long press to see the “alt” for emojis. At my age, it’s hard enough to keep up with what’s an eye roller to send without hitting the wrong one unintentionally! 😖 it’s a gaffe-pit out there and they’re soooo freakin TINY! (Note: don’t have a computer so I’m on an iPad or iPhone)

Melissa Kane

Would hieroglyphs be considered emojis?

Lauren Moore

This!! ⬆️ it’s a minefield out there!

Lauren Moore

Depends on the audience and context, but a lot of my circle associates the thumbs up with TFG

Taylor Faulkner

Do men and women use emoji’s differently?

Earl of Greymalkin

1) How do people suggest emojis to be added? 2) Have communities that use different languages adopted different ways of using emojis? Are interpretations of what emojis convey different across cultures? 3) Are there official parameters or guidelines that apps try to abide by when designing their own take on emojis? 4) How did kaomoji start? 5) Who came up with the emojis of cat faces having emotional reactions to things and how do I thank them for creating the most valuable emojis? (And for dog people, how do we get dog versions added?) 6) Are there patterns to how people chain together emojis to convey extreme reactions?

Justin Daggett

When can we expect to see emojis appear in the OED or other dictionaries? Is there an Emoji dictionary?

Allie Paul

Who invented the emoji and was it just the inevitable evolution of the emoticon?

Traveler Gates

How do emojis/picture forms of community fit into the way we describe language?

Saira (‘Sarah’) Manns

What is the ologist’s favourite emoji and why? Also, what is dad ward’s fabourite emoji and why?

Chandler Witherington

Does each emoji have an intended definition? Thinking mainly of face emojis that can be interpreted differently. Also, what emoji have you seen that you think is the most creative or strange interpretation? Lastly, how does someone's culture change the way they interpret certain emojis? Yay this is going to be a fun one!!

Nita Chen

Greetings, what about the different keyboard expressions in Japanese? Do they count as emojis?

Nita Chen

Greetings, What is the meaning behind the dancing lady in the red dress?

Nita Chen

Greetings, how have emojis changed the way we communicate? Do we communicate less or more with emojis?

JENN 'Benthopelagic squirrel' ALVAREZ

When are we going to get a crow emoji? Can you get paid for designing an emoji? What's the most ridiculous emoji? What is the difference between emojis and hieroglyphics? Who decides what emojis are added to our lexicon?

taysamps

FTQA: What’s the deal with the fear that emojis are going to take over language, such as “the youth will only communicate in *insert various emojis here*”

Jenna Congdon

I guess this is not a question but my response to that is who cares?! Language has always changed and will continue to change.

Jenna Congdon

How did emojis start? I'm old enough to have spent my high school and college years making eleborate faces with the keyboard. How did that catch on and how did it evolve into the emojis we have today?

Scott Hanley

So Curiology was the STEM ology for you Dadward. Good to know. And it’s about time you found a curiologist to make an episode with. ;)

Tomas Van Duijne

Is there a commission that approves/rejects emojis?

Cassafrass

Love you dadward💜💜💜 why doesn’t iOS predictive text do better with/show more emojis?

david rice

So would hieroglyphs be in the same category as Emojis?

Hannah Boyd

How do emoji libraries change based on the country which is using them? Do certain countries have a favorite or most used emoji???

Scarlet P

Is it still considered unprofessional to use emojis at work?

Scarlet P

I often have moments when i really struggle to pick an emoji face that feels like it fits my current emotion. I am neurodivergent / autistic and i wondered if my struggle to find the “correct” emoji could be related to my differences in how i feel and express emotion? Or is this a struggle that many (including no - neurodivergent) people have?

Cass Goodnight, RVT, CPDT-KA

How and who decides which emojis windup in the database? Also, When did emojis morph from :) to 🙂? I am in my 30s, so I was alive while this happened, but it was honestly such a seamless transition I hardly remember the turning point!

Dave

I want to hear their thoughts on the Tom Scott Emoji keyboard and his follow-on joke/project Emojli: the Emoji-only messenger.

Leilani Wolfe

What is objectively the worst emoji?

KittyKat81

Why is it so faux pas to actually have body parts as emojis instead of simulating with fruits and vegetables?

Kaiju Sommelier

The one emoji that I’m baffled doesn’t exist, especially because from what I understand they were originally created in Japan, is the Maneki-Neko. Has this ever been submitted and if so why was it rejected?

Allison Brooks

FTQA - Who coined the eggplant emoji for… not eggplant? Is coining an emoji a thing like it is for a phrase?

Gabby Sweet

Is it ice cream or poop? 💩💩💩

Catie Noble

What makes some emojis more popular or iconic (pun absolutely intended) than others?

Sleepy John

What good is a field of symbols that expands faster than we can keep up with them? An unknown emoji in a conversation is worse than useless: it slows down communication, instead of enhancing it. And there are more of them every month, it seems.

Jen

How does the evolution and cultural meaning of an emoji (ie the peach emoji or the eggplant emoji) compare to the rise and fall of slang terms? Do they evolve similarly, or is the meaning and use of one more likely to stick around longer than the other?

Colby Evans

What is your preference between emoticons and emojis? My kid (16) is all about emoticons

Milan Ilnyckyj

Has anyone ever been hacked using an emoji — like those recent-ish Android and iOS bugs where a particular text message would crash the recipient's phone?

Maryam Abdulmajeed

Hi!! I noticed that certain emojis have different connotations depending on the age group and also culture that we're talking about, for example in NA 💦 usually has a lewd cinnotation whereas in the eastern part of the world some take it to make crying. Could you comment more on this?

rikspieks

do we really need so many?

curly fry

Who invented the iphone emoji?

curly fry

What is the ologist's and alie's most used and favorite emojis

curly fry

Who decided to make them yellow?

river stone

who does the art for the emojis? who decides what animals/items/faces will become emojis? is there competition in the emoji department? do you get a raise if you design emojis for the next software update? so curious about the behind the scenes of this process!!!

river stone

**first time question asker

river stone

but u can make art!!! 🌙 🦚 🫧🪸🫧🦚 🌙

Scalebar

What's wrong with just using emoticons? they were good enough in the 90s, says the old guy who doesn't use emojis ;)

Lena Gwen

First time question asker here: How far back goes the study of curiology? What are the oldest areas of research?

Lena Gwen

How do self-made stickers (e.g. on Telegram) fit into the study of curiology? Is there a difference between stickers and emojis in science? (First time question asker)

Lena Gwen

Does an emoji have to have a high level of iconicity to be successful? (First time question asker)

Aurel Chaoul Pelleg

Will emojis save humanity for it will be the only way we would be able to communicate so that artificial intelligence won't understand?

Lee

Question to both Alie & the curiologist: Do you use emoji's in text messages? Which one is your favourite/most used?

Lee

How do factors like age and culture influence the way we interpret emojis?

Lee

Is there a connection between certain personality types/traits, that are correlated to how/if a person uses emojis?

Steeping Films, aka Erika Houle

First time questioner over here! Are cave paintings considered the OG emojis? What are the predecessors of our lil' digital smiley face friends throughout human history? Cleopatra had hieroglyphics, but did Shakespeare ever come up short and decide to go with a winky face instead of inventing a new adjective?

Jean Caruso

First time questions!! How do you feel about the fact that we as people have decided to start talking more in emojis than using our English language or other languages? Do you feel like you've broken the code to inter language communication in that most emojis mean the same nations wide? 👉🏼👈🏼

Carrie Cimo

I LOVE emojis. I think they help expression in written text so much. First question: do emoji expressions mean different things to different cultures? Second: why is the “hugging” emoji located among sad/distressed emojis rather than with the happy ones?! It’s my favorite emoji and it’s placement drives me bonkers! 🤗😜

Carrie Cimo

Third Q: how does one go about getting a new emoji added?

Carrie Cimo

Fourth Q: what’s your favorite emoji (both Alie and curiologist 🧐)

Sam Nelson

Are emojis modern hieroglyphics?

Becky Peterman

FTQA: My fellow Millenials and I can't stop 😆😂🤣. My Gen-Z coworkers tell me the mysterious 🙃 means *internal screaming*, and that 🙂 is now sarcastic but :) means the same as it always has? My Boomer-and-older relatives use 😘 with everyone, while I only send that one to my husband. Clearly there are generational usage differences like with any aspect of language. My question is, what is Gen-X up to that’s unique to them?

Piper Warnick

FTQA. Does the ologist know about emojli the entirely emoji-based texting app that Tom Scott created some years ago?

Piper Warnick

FTQA. What does it take for a new emoji to be created and added to our keyboards?

WildPackofDogs

First time question asker: Let’s chat data sets. What are the percentages of usage based on age and culture demographics? Do different generations use emojis more or less than others?

Kelly Semon

Has the APA or MLA made usage recommendations regarding emojis yet? Do you expect they will? I have very strong emotions regarding punctuation marks in proximity to emojis that I know are fully irrational and have no basis in reason so I’m curious if there has been any guidance on this 😂

Kelly Semon

There is a great podcast episode about this somewhere! It’s either an episode of 99pi or reply all but I think it’s 99pi

Piper Warnick

FTQA. Any thoughts on the different art styles that different platforms use for their emojis? Favorites, least favorites, etc. Or the annoying experience of an emoji seeming to convey a slightly different emotion in a different platforms art style.

Lauren Cooper

How are new emojis picked and who gets to design them?

Photo Geegee

Okay be real: did we just reverse engineer hieroglyphs?

Carrie Cimo

Thanks! I thought i had heard it somewhere, but can’t remember… maybe you submit an idea and make a good case for it? Or maybe demonstrate a wider desire or need? I can’t remember.. 😜

Tubby Cat

I didn’t know that! (Also had to Google the meaning of TFG so.. I obviously *need* this episode lol / 😂 / 💀)

David Ruscalleda Gómez

Not a question, but it'd be interesting to talk about the etymology of it, cause it feels to all us westerners as if "emoji" has something to do with "emotion" but actually the word is japanese and just means "drawing (E-) character (-MOJI)", as in "a type of alphabet character that is instead a drawing".

BeckytheSassySeagrassScientist

Are emojis used differently across different countries or regions? Do those differences tell us anything about the groups' culture? Will we one day just only communicate through emojis?

Erin Knapp

Did older cultures/societies use “emojis”? For example ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphs, would they be considered emojis? (First time question asker here ☺️)

Susan Lovelock

Hi Alie! First time question asker...I recently read an article about how older vs. younger people perceive the meanings of emojis differently. One example cited was the face laughing with tears in the eyes. 😂🤣 Millennials and Gen-Xers tend to use this as "laughing so hard I'm crying", while younger texters see it as sarcasm: "Well, another shitty thing happened! Screaming inside! My life is soooo effing awesome!"... (I'm Gen-X and I do tend to use it when something is especially hilarious.) I'm curious about other examples of how the same emojis are used/seen differently by different ages, cultural or ethnic groups, etc. Thanks Dad!

Amanda Smith

FTQA: 1) What’s the history of emojis? I know there are a lot of Japanese ones because they were originally widely used in Japan. I’m curious how they started there, how they made the jump into common usage in the West, and how that relates to emoticons from the early internet days. :) 2) I know there’s a group that makes recommendations for new emojis to get added across platforms. What does that group look like? Who gets to be on it (ie. how many people, and are they tech experts and/or linguists)?

Katie Murray

FTQA: I read once that people who use more emojis are more sexually frustrated. Is there any validity to that or is it total flim-flam?

Katie Murray

FTQA: who decided to take out any realistic looking gun emojis and leave only the water gun?

Katie Murray

FTQA: Yes what the poop are Wingdings? And more importantly WHY are Wingdings?

Katie Murray

FTQA: could an emoji be a part of someone’s legal name?

Katie Murray

James Winky-face Richardson, for example.

Findlay Munro

Is there a standardised cross-country and cross-software emoji “code” or set of rules? I know different apps have different looking emojis but is there someone making sure the basic emoji language is conserved between devices?

Savannah

Does someone's emoji use tell you something about their personality? I know I use a lot of emojis ironically when I text, what does this mean?? Could this be a new kind of personality test?

EdNoGG

What!? Is this a thing!?

EdNoGG

My thoughts exactly! Like I couldn’t use it to write school papers or anything. Who was actually using this!?

Allison Bray

What kinds of new grammar have emerged from using emojis? I know I use them practically as punctuation now… also so curious to know more about how the meanings of emojis has drifted away from the “correct” usage originally intended. Both in terms of younger folks finding new uses for them and older folks misunderstanding the emoji (I’m looking at you, people who use 😂 and 😪 to mean sad crying…)

Rachel S. Anderson

No question - but I hope your ologist is Gretchen McCulloch! She's amazing.

King Donna

Have you heard "1 Way to make an Emoji" a podcast Mini Series by Alex Schmidt on how he got the Bison Emoji made? It's wonderful and brings me great joy🦬✨️💖✨️

Chelsea Wilck

First of all Alie VERY important question here: is what is your favorite emoji?

Chelsea Wilck

How did we get from using the word "emoticon" to "emoji"? I just remember one day in middle school it just changed? Who decided that?

Olivia

is there a connection between humans of past using things like hieroglyphics and cave paintings to us now using little virtual images to communicate things? if so, what is our human fondness for visual communication?

Chelsea Wilck

Also! How do the most-used emojis differ across cultures and why? I feel like I have friends in other countries who constantly use emojis that people in the states wouldn't use as frequently and vice versa. And same for generational differences like why do we interpret meaning and "appropriateness" of emojis differently? Just so interesting man humans are WEIRD!

Michele Victoria Helen Kraft

What is this one 😬? And can we get it updated? I use it as sort an 'oopsies, sorry about that'.. And hair not enough red headed emojis, or curly hair, this coming from a fake red head. 👩‍🦰 And I have to say, I love emojis. They can be super duper 🤩 fun 🎉🪅

art_by_di

How does the use of emojis today differ from that of a hieroglyph or other types of pictorial writing?

Ecaterina Balica

Are there trending emojis and how does that come to be? What makes an emoji popular all of a sudden? (First time question asker)

Cate Muenker

Who decides what emojis get created? Do different phones have different emojis? IMHO the birthday and celebration emojis need more options. Also….disappointed there’s no emoji for kilt or jellyfish. (Says the Outlander fan who loves invertebrates) 🤣

Kelsey Larson

So excited! So- how come some facial expression emoji are so wildly different across different systems? 😳🤨😒

Deli Dames

how does emoji use change our spoken languages?

Deli Dames

are emojis basically like early forms of pictographic written language?

choirqueer

They're actually totally different word origins! "Emoticon" is a portmanteau of the English words "emotion" + "icon" and refers to the images formed by punctuation marks like :-) and ;-) "Emoji" is from Japanese "e" (picture) + "moji" (writing) and refers to the images like 😀 and 😉 More info: https://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=43521

Jimmy

Are there any languages that rely mostly on pictures? And is there a way to speak a language that is written in emojis?

Courtney Kudera

What started the creation of emojis? I know Emoticons were happily used for the longest time, then I feel like it suddenly switched to emojis. What happened and how?

Nathan Marion

First time question asker: What was the first emoji used, and what is the most popular one used?

Arvind Bhusnurmath

When will they have more diverse foods as part of the standard emoji keyboards? I'd even be ok with something where you go 🇪🇹🫓 and it gives you something that looks like injeera. Thanks!! So excited for this pod!

Sébastien Mouttet

First time QA: What do you predict the future of emojis to look like? From your experience can you surmise any future ground-breaking developments in the technology or societal shifts driven by emoji?

Milan Ilnyckyj

Can you comment on how young people use emojis and other techniques to write in ways which cannot be parsed or come across innocently to older generations (parents and teachers)?

Dave Langlinais

Why is it that there are no options for left-to-right mirror-flipped emojis Why do all "thumbs-ups" gotta be left-handed? Why can't the finger be pointed in the other di.. oh wait that one actually is a Thing... Anyway, better yet, why can't you just import and use your own custom-made emoji?

Ted Vician

What’s the emoji for emoji?

Katie Biardi

First-time QA: Are emojis essentially hieroglyphs? They're both ways of communicating with pictures but I feel like they are so different.

Katie Biardi

Also will we always have new emojis or will we eventually reach a limit?

Julia Hutton

I remember seeing a thread somewhere about all the different ant emojis and an army of myrmecologists had a wild time comparing them! I never thought before about how much design goes into one emoji... My question(s): How many iterations of an emoji are designed & redesigned before it is published magically to the keyboards of our phones? Is it one person designing them, or a whole group of artists debating the placement of eyes and eyebrows and ant legs? 🐜

Mykenzie King

How has the creation of emojis changed the mode of communication for humans. I feel like it’s made a major impact on our linguistics, at least in English speaking countries

Amy Copler

First time question asker: why is it that emojis seem to help soften the blow/lighten up seemingly awkward or difficult conversations? Is it because they’re lighthearted and cute or is there a deeper meaning? 🤓🧐

rachel redders

First-time QA: Are you familiar with the term Rebus? If so, how have rebus' (rebi???) been used historically? In war? Do detectives use them?

Cindie Flaig

Is there a way to suggest a new emoji when you don’t have the skills necessary to make a formal submission? I’ve looked into doing that and it turns out to be WAY intimidating and beyond my capabilities! ….. Okay, because I know you’re curious, here’s my idea: Sometimes I want to send a hug to express commiseration or sympathy, but the only hug emoji available has a huge smile ….. obviously, totally inappropriate. What can I do? Or have I just done it by throwing the idea out into the universe?

Leon Bick

How is it that emojis are so legible and we can even tell what such a tiny picture means so easily, with a lot of nuance (most of the time anyway) ❓❓❓ Here are some examples of pairs that very different meanings but are visually soooo similar: 😈👿 🫢🤭 🖕👆

Tim Ellis

Do you think emojis make is less or more able to express our feelings? Tim-California

Ellen Brown

How do emojis change the nuances of a sentence? And are they adding to our communication skills, or ultimately subtracting from our use of language?

Joe Wilkie

why is the gun emoji really gone? are emojis hyroglyphics? do emojis have any major benefits for the neurodivergent community?

ElCee

First time QA: Why do I feel the need to end every message to everyone with a cry laughing emoji, and why does it feel really abrupt not to include it? 😂

Holden A. Goose

Hi! First time question asker: what are your thoughts on emojis being used for innuendos different from their intended use? For example, the “No❤️” meme being a fun way to sound passive aggressive. Or the ✨ emote being used in a more self deprecating context like “i haven’t showered in three days because ✨depression✨”. (does that make sense?)

Elisabeth

I love using Emoji's within my family, because we know each other so not likely to misinterpret their intensions. Who makes and decides these, and why are so many necessary ones missing?

Elisabeth

There's fairies, wizards, zombies, vampires (?), action figures, but why no beautiful Angel?

Elisabeth

It's like using a new form of hieroglyphics to express what we are saying, meaning, describing! The meaning can be different for who ever's using them, as there doesn't seem to be an absolute meaning for each one used in any given way. So it is a language in the making!

Elisabeth

Are emoji's used with more abandon by females? Is this a new language growing right now in a form of Hieroglyphics? How many people use them entirely for expressing a feeling or saying something without using any words? Is there an actual dictionary for the usage of them?

ThyNameIsButter

First Time Q&A: How have emoji’s affected communication and culture in different countries (and different languages)? What is the impact of Emojis on Mandarin and other languages that use logograms? Also what is up with Emoticons or Text Faces (•ิ_•ิ)?

Claire Byrnes

How did yellow become the default emoji color?

Don Elliot

Are they direct descendants of emoticons, or a different culture altogether?

karen mead

I love emojis They describe how I am feeling - never quite sure if the recipient understands exactly what I am conveying 😂🤦🏽‍♀️ That said - who do I call when I get an epiphany of missing emojis? I love when new ones descend magically … thank you emoji Magi!!!

Katherine Wood

In different cultures, the same facial expressions can mean slightly different things. How did emojis end up having these expressions and not from other cultures.

Lauren B

FTQA. Why are the default faces yellow where did that come from?

Gemma

Why do different generations have different connotations and interpretations of emojis? Like 😃being “wtf” to gen zs but “yay!” to gen x