1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
IranIsrael-Hamas warIndia elections

Emojis Trend

May 23, 2016

They laugh, they cry – and their expressions can be worth more than a thousand words. Emojis are hugely popular in social media and messenger services alike. What impact are they having on communication?

https://p.dw.com/p/1IstO
DW Shift Virtual Reality im Kino
Image: DW/A. Dluzak

Emojis: Worth more than a thousand words

The first emojis were created in 1998 by a Japanese mobile phone operator. Their spread across the globe, however, did not come for another 13 years – when Apple incorporated the pictograms into its operating system. Some of the most popular emojis were developed by an Austrian graphic designer.