In various forms of online communication, emojis have become a part of the way we can instantly express our feelings. In 2020 alone, around 117 new emojis have been added to the list of global emojis. These new emojis have come as a result of debates of social equality and protests against abandoning some depictions out of the emojis. For instance, there was previously no emojis at all for transgenders or for couples belonging to different races. But emojis didn't solely emerge in the 21st century.
It may seem that emojis are random, but they are actually a standard. The first time that emojis were ever approved was by the United States, back in 1995. At that time, there were only 76 pictograms but currently, the total stands at 3,136. This number is expected to expand in 2021, with the addition of 217 more emojis, bringing the total to 3,353. However, modern-day emojis have a little to do with the 76 pictograms adopted by the US in 1995.
In fact, the emojis we have today is said to be built upon 176 simple emojis or smileys, that was developed in Japan in 1999. It was not until 2010 that the list of emojis expanded somewhere as many as 1000. However, to be racially inclusive, emojis of different skin colours emerged somewhere only in 2015. Before that, the emojis weren't as diverse. The infographic below shows how the emojis have evolved over the years.
Infographic by: Statista
