World Emoji Day is an annual celebration held on 17 July, reminding us of the importance and impact of these little icons that have changed the way we communicate. Since they were created, emojis have become an integral part of our digital communication, enabling us to express emotions, ideas and reactions in a visual and universal way.

The first emoji was created at the start of the 90s by the Japanese programmer Shigetaka Kurita. The first set of 176 emojis, designed for messaging purposes by the company NTT DoCoMo, included elements such as emoticons, images of animals, foods, objects and other visual symbols. Since then, emojis have evolved and grown, with an ever broader and more diverse range of graphic representations.

There are currently thousands of emojis available, covering a wide variety of topics, such as emotions, activities, animals, foods, places, objects and much more. They are used on a global scale and have become a shared visual language that goes beyond linguistic and cultural barriers.

Here are some tips on using emojis when you communicate:

·        Contextualisation: Make sure the emoji you choose relates to the message you want to convey. Use the emoji to highlight or strengthen the meaning of your words.

·        Avoid excessive use: Use emojis in moderation. Using too many or overloading your message with them can make it difficult to understand. Choose the most relevant and significant emojis to communicate your point of view.

·       Universal meaning: Bear in mind that emojis can be interpreted differently depending on culture and context. To avoid misunderstandings, make sure you know the common meaning of an emoji before using it.

·        Experiment: Don’t be afraid to explore new emojis and use them to express yourself. Creative use of emojis can add a fun and exciting dimension to your digital conversations.

Have a good World Emoji Day! 😉 🎉