Emoji
An Emoji is a small digital icon or image used to express an idea or emotion in electronic communication. The term originates from the Japanese words 'e' (picture) and 'moji' (character). The first set of 176 characters was created in 1999 by Shigetaka-Kurita for the mobile provider NTT-DoCoMo as part of their i-mode service. These early designs were intended to facilitate communication on the limited screen real estate of early cellular devices.
Global standardization began when the Unicode-Consortium incorporated Emoji into the Unicode-Standard in 2010. This allowed for cross-platform compatibility between Apple, Google, and Microsoft systems. According to the Unicode-Emoji-Charts, the library has grown to include thousands of characters. The adoption of these symbols has significantly impacted Linguistics, as they provide a visual layer of tone and context that is often missing in written Digital-Communication.
In 2015, the Oxford-Dictionaries named the 'Face with Tears of Joy' emoji as the Word of the Year, reflecting its pervasive influence on modern Language. Further research into the sociological impact of these icons can be found at Britannica. Today, Emoji are essential tools in Social-Media marketing and Graphic-Design, helping to bridge cultural and linguistic gaps across the Internet.