THE country’s obsession with emojis has reached new heights with a majority now believing the expressive pictures are the new universal langue for messages.
A survey released today by smartphone maker Oppo Australia shows that 60 per cent of Australians use emojis in messaging.
It turns out Julie Bishop is not the only Australian woman who turns to emoji no matter what the conversation. The survey found more than two thirds per cent of women agree that emojis have become the universal messaging language.
Splitting Australia’s emoji use across the states and territories, the Northern Territory is at the top of the country in more than one way.
Seventy per cent of people in the Northern Territory use emojis in message, ahead of Tasmania (67 per cent), the Australian Capital Territory (65 per cent), South Australia (64 per cent), New South Wales (62 per cent), Queensland (58 per cent) and Western Australia (54 per cent).
Emojis date back to images used in Japanese messaging system and have become increasingly popular. This year Apple has extended the emoji vocabulary in the iPhone, including new images in the most recent update to the operating system that include an emoji for a unicorn, the middle finger, nerd face and a burrito
For many, an emoji is a quick and simple way to send a message but the survey shows that there is also another advantage in sending someone a smiley face or a smiling pile of poo.
Two thirds of Australian women and more than half of Australian men believe using emojis allows them to better express themselves in messaging.
Although Australians might view emojis as a universal language, in truth there is still miscommunication to be had when messaging with pictures.
An emoji that shows a person with arms flat in front of them is often used to express “lonely” or “thinking” in western countries but in Japan is used to express humility.
Declaring emoji the universal language might be a giant leap but the first steps have already been taken. The Oxford Dictionary Word of the Year for 2015 is the face with tears emoji.
“Emojis are no longer the preserve of texting teens — instead, they have been embraced as a nuanced form of expression, and one which can cross language barriers,” the Oxford Dictionaries blog says.
[Source:- news.com]