Emoji – The New Form of Communication
I came across this interesting post on Pulse (LinkedIN), via Shel Holtz. In his post (see here), he discusses the new phenomenon that current day users are using – EMOJIS. Now, we all know that emojis have been around for a long time. However, it’s been apparent that the trend as of late has really blossomed these small smiley faces. True to the trend, Shel goes over how he’s noticed these smiley emojis replacing full sentences. As a writer himself, he does mention how he does feel sympathetic to journalists and older generation alike, whom seem to not want to have to translate the meaning of emojis in various cases. But, nonetheless, he says something that just makes perfect sense – ““Isn’t a picture worth a thousand of those?”
As a writer, I’m sympathetic to Jay’s plea. I’m equally cognizant, though, of the general shift toward visual communication, a trend I continue to urge my clients to follow and about which I speak frequently. The instant I heard Jay say, “Use your words,” I thought, “Isn’t a picture worth a thousand of those?” – Shel Holtz
I am in 100% agreement with Shel’s assessment. If you go back to the whole sticker craze in Asia (the equivalent to emojis here in the west), that’s exactly what they are used for. The stickers and animated stickers in Asia have replaced the need to write out full sentences. Especially with mobile messaging becoming a way of life, users in Asia use these stickers (emojis) to express feelings, moods, and sentences. In comparison, users here in the U.S are doing the exact same thing. Emojis are replacing the need to type out full sentences. Here’s an example – Instead of typing out “Man, I am so disappointed right now. *sigh*.” on Twitter, you can simply just use an emoji/sticker. See example below:
My mood. pic.twitter.com/6J47EQkAwl
— Phillip Yang (@geeky_yang) August 18, 2015
See how easy it is to just simply use an emoji/sticker? Because of the growing craze, brands and advertisers are jumping on the trend as well. You can read more about that in Shel’s post above. As we are becoming more and more of a tech savvy society; fast and on-the-go expression is needed. This is why I feel emojis/stickers are here to stay and won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. Hell, there’s even a company called Fooji that lets you order food via emojis only – Yep, you can see them here.
How do you express yourself? USE A STKR! 🙂
Smile STKR – via http:.//stkr.us
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