- World Emoji Day celebrates the evolution and impact of emojis in digital communication.
- The day has historical significance rooted in the digital age.
- Celebrations include sharing favourite emojis, creating new ones, and participating in social media events.
World Emoji Day is a celebration of the colourful, expressive icons that have revolutionised digital communication, observed on 17 July each year.
What is the historical significance of World Emoji Day?
The significance of this date stems from the calendar emoji 📅, which displays 17 July.
This choice is a nod to the iOS Calendar emoji, which showed the date of the MacWorld 2002 announcement of iCal.
Emojis were first created in the late 1990s by Shigetaka Kurita, a Japanese designer working for NTT DoCoMo, a major mobile carrier.
RelatedPosts
Kurita developed a set of 176 emojis to enhance the messaging capabilities of the company’s mobile platform.
These simple, pixelated images quickly caught on, leading to the development of more complex and varied emojis.
The real explosion of emoji use came with the rise of smartphones.
Apple introduced an emoji keyboard with the iPhone in 2011, followed by Android shortly thereafter.
Emojis transcended language barriers and provided a fun, concise way to convey emotions and ideas in digital communication.
Today, there are over 3,500 emojis standardised by the Unicode Consortium, which continues to expand the emoji repertoire to reflect diverse cultures, expressions, and experiences.
How to celebrate World Emoji Day
World Emoji Day offers a variety of fun and creative ways to celebrate the tiny icons that have become an integral part of our daily communication.
Here are some ideas:
- Share Your Favorite Emojis: Participate in social media trends by sharing your favourite emojis or emoji combinations. Use the hashtag #WorldEmojiDay to join the global conversation and see what others are posting.
- Create Custom Emojis: Many messaging apps and platforms allow users to create personalized emojis or “Memojis.” Spend some time designing your own custom emoji that represents you or something you love.
- Emoji-Themed Parties: Host an emoji-themed party with friends and family. Decorate with emoji-themed items, play games like “Emoji Pictionary,” and encourage guests to come dressed as their favourite emoji.
- Participate in Online Events: Many organisations and brands host online events, contests, and activities to mark World Emoji Day. Check social media and websites for any special events you can join.
- Learn About Emoji History: Take some time to learn about the history and development of emojis. There are plenty of articles, documentaries, and videos that delve into the fascinating journey of how emojis became a global phenomenon.
- Vote for New Emojis: The Unicode Consortium, which is responsible for standardising emojis, often takes public input for new emoji ideas. Visit their website to see how you can suggest or vote for new emojis.
- Emoji Art and Crafts: Get creative with emoji-themed arts and crafts. Whether it’s drawing, painting, or even baking emoji-shaped cookies, this can be a fun way to celebrate the day with kids or friends.
World Emoji Day is not just a celebration of digital icons but a recognition of how emojis have enriched our communication, making it more expressive and universally understood.
Whether you’re sharing a heart ❤️, a smiley face 😊, or something more creative, it’s a day to appreciate the small symbols that have had a big impact on how we connect with each other.
