The first icons were called emoticons and were made by using symbols on the keyboard. In 1982, Professor Scott Fahlman proposed the idea because text alone didn’t convey the message properly. The emoticons disclosed feeling behind the words. For example, the symbol :-) represented a joking post and :-( represented a serious post. Sarcasm was even able to be conveyed by using this symbol ;-) at the end of a message.
In 1998, Shigetaka Kurita, an engineer at the Japanese phone company, NTT DOCOMO, came up with the idea of the emoji. He wanted his customers to be able to communicate with each other in a simple way by using icons. He was able to create 176 icons he named emoji. The name comes from the combination of two Japanese words: “e” (picture) and “moji” (character). Some of the first emojis were symbols such as an umbrella, airplane and cell phone.
In 2007, Unicode Consortium, a nonprofit group that works to maintain text standards across computers, was petitioned by a software team at Google. They worked to standardize the codes for language so that the letters typed on a computer showed up in the same manner despite the language. By 2009, 625 new emojis were adopted into the Unicode Standard. In 2010, Unicode accepted a proposal that would make emojis accessible everywhere. In 2011, Apple added an official emoji keyboard to cell phones. Android quickly followed. Young people everywhere quickly caught on to the exciting craze and started using the icons to correspond with friends. In 2015, the Face with Tears of Joy was the Oxford Word of the Year.
Face with Tears of Joy was the
Oxford Word of the Year.
Emojis are added by Unicode Consortium every year. Users send in their new ideas by submitting a detailed proposal that includes an explanation of why the emoji should be adopted and what it might look like. A committee meets to discuss and decide which emojis should get a chance to appear on cell phones everywhere. Once the committee comes to a consensus, a new emoji is born. The approval process can take up to two years. So, don’t hold your breath waiting for new ones to appear. Emojis are sticking around for a while and becoming more popular. If you were given the chance to add a new emoji, what would you choose?
Question
Which idea does the author develop throughout the selection?
Responses
A Professor Scott Fahlman created the emoticon to show feeling behind words. Professor Scott Fahlman created the emoticon to show feeling behind words.
B The process to add a new emoji is extensive and takes about two years. The process to add a new emoji is extensive and takes about two years.
C Emojis have changed the way people communicate with others. Emojis have changed the way people communicate with others.
D Apple added an official emoji keyboard to their phones in 2011.
1 answer
C. Emojis have changed the way people communicate with others.
The author develops the idea that emojis have become a significant part of modern communication, evolving from emoticons to emojis and influencing how people convey emotions and messages.
