Check Out World¡¯s Most Popular Emoji, Also The Most Misunderstood, From A Study

The millennials and Gen Z have been clashing in videos and comments on TikTok over the past few weeks and among other things, Gen Z declared that the ¡®laughing crying¡¯ emoji isn¡¯t cool anymore. But a majority of emoji users around the world think otherwise.

Adobe

The laugh-cry face is officially the world¡¯s most popular emoji, according to Adobe's Global Emoji Trend Report 2021, which saw 7,000 people from the US, UK, Germany, France, Japan, Australia, and South Korea participate in a survey.

The 'thumbs up' was the second-most widely used emoji, followed by the 'red heart' ?, the 'winking kiss' and the 'sad face with a tear' to complete the top five -- a genuine reflection of the difficult and depressing being communicated across social media platforms.

¡°Language can be very abstract, and this is especially the case when much of our communication is done in the digital realm ¡ª without seeing someone¡¯s facial expressions or gestures or hearing their tone of voice,¡± Adobe's typeface, font developer, and creator of the gender-inclusive emoji Paul D. Hunt said in a blog post.

Unsplash

¡°I believe we respond more emotionally to imagery, and so, emoji can help approximate tone of voice, gestures and emotional reactions better with imagery than with words alone. This is the potential strength of emoji: to help us connect more deeply to the feeling behind our messages sent by digital text.¡±

Over 63 per cent of GenZ users agree that they use emoji differently than their intended meaning. The software maker¡¯s latest Emoji Trend report also examined the three most misunderstood emojis in the world, which include the "eggplant" symbol, the "peach" and the "clown" ? emojis, in that order.

Both eggplant and peach emojis also make you less likeable when dating or flirting, whereas blowing a kiss and Smiling Face with Hearts ? and Heart-Eyes are most appreciated.

Nine in ten surveyed users agree that emoji make it easier for them to express themselves; 89 per cent said that it simplifies communicating across language barriers; and some 88 per cent of respondents said they are more likely to feel empathetic towards someone if they use an emoji -- and that it forges a deeper connection.

The study also found that using an emoji makes people feel better, with more than half saying it had a positive effect on their mental health. Two-thirds of people surveyed believed people who use emojis are friendlier, funnier and cooler than those who don't. And a slight majority said they are more comfortable expressing emotions through emojis than talking on the phone or in person.

Unsplash

Seventy-six per cent of those surveyed said emojis are an important communication tool for creating unity, respect and understanding, while seven in ten agreed that inclusive emoji can help spark positive conversations about important cultural and societal issues.

¡°Emoji sometimes get criticized for being overly saccharine, but this sweetness is key when it comes to diffusing some of the heaviness of online communication,¡± Hunt added. ¡°The antidote to being perceived as a jerk, when that is likely not our intention, is to add a bit of levity and heart by integrating imagery into our messaging, to recenter the conversational tone to a place where we can show and receive more empathy.¡±