The History and Evolution of Emojis

Emojis have come a long way since their creation in the late 1990s. These small digital images have become a staple in our daily communication, expressing emotions and ideas in a way that words alone cannot. But where did these little pictures come from, and how have they evolved over the years?

Emojis were first created in Japan by Shigetaka Kurita, a developer working for NTT DoCoMo, one of the largest mobile phone companies in Japan. At the time, mobile phone screens were small and text-based, making it difficult for users to express emotions or convey tone in their messages. Kurita saw this as a problem and began developing a set of 176 12x12 pixel images, which he called "emojis," a combination of the Japanese words for "picture" and "letter."

The first emojis were simple and functional, including images of weather, time, and transportation. They were designed to be easy to read and understand, even on small screens. The initial set of emojis was released in 1999 and quickly became popular among Japanese mobile phone users.

It wasn't long before emojis began to spread beyond Japan. In 2010, Apple introduced an emoji keyboard for the iPhone, making it easy for users to insert emojis into their text messages and emails. Other smartphone manufacturers soon followed suit, and emojis began to become a popular way to communicate across the globe.

As emojis became more popular, more and more of them were created. The Unicode Consortium, the organization responsible for standardizing the encoding of text across different platforms, began to include more and more emojis in its standard. The number of emojis has grown to over 3,000 today, with new ones being added regularly.

As the number of emojis has grown, so too has their complexity and diversity. Early emojis were simple and functional, designed to convey basic concepts and emotions. But as more and more emojis were created, they became increasingly detailed and expressive. Today, emojis can be used to express a wide range of emotions and ideas, from the simple (a smiley face) to the complex (a gender-neutral Santa Claus).

In recent years, emojis have also begun to include more diverse representation. In 2015, the Unicode Consortium introduced a set of emojis that included a variety of skin tones, making it possible for users to select a skin tone that more closely matched their own. In 2020, the Consortium added more than 230 new emojis, including more diverse options for people with disabilities, as well as new gender-neutral options.

Emojis have come a long way since their creation in 1999. They have become an essential part of our daily communication, helping us to express emotions and ideas in a way that words alone cannot. With over 3,000 emojis to choose from, and new ones being added regularly, it's clear that emojis will continue to be an important part of our digital lives for years to come.