37 new emojis coming in 2022: How are they selected?
Nothing punctuates a text message like the perfect emoji. In the digital world, where face-to-face conversations have declined and most conversations take place through messages, emojis have become the go-to way of adding expressions and emotions. In 2022, 37 new emojis, including a troll and melting face, will be introduced with the new update. Find out how emojis make it to your smartphones.
Why does it matter?
Reportedly, more than 90% of the world's online population uses emojis for communication. They have been around since the 1990s and every year, new and more relatable ones are introduced. Interestingly, someone like you and me can submit the proposal for a new emoji, however, there is a tough selection criterion in place which decides if your submission will become an emoji or not.
Unicode Consortium is responsible for selecting emojis
The Unicode Consortium is a non-profit organization that develops, maintains, and promotes the standard for how text is represented in all modern software products and standards like smartphones and laptops. It also decides which emojis will live and which will die.
How are emojis selected?
The selection of emojis is based on a number of factors like distinctiveness, compatibility with popular platforms like Snapchat and Twitter, usage level in terms of frequency, multiple usages with a metaphorical reference or symbolism, and its use in sequences. The entries are rejected if the submissions are open-ended, overly specific, transient, controversial, include text, and if they are already represented, among other factors.
In 2022, 838 new characters will be introduced in Unicode
37 new emojis and 75 skin tones will be released
The Unicode Consortium has already unveiled the new emojis that would join the existing pool in 2022 with Unicode 14.0 update. There will be a total of 37 new emojis, including a melting face, peeking eye face, biting lip, finger heart, nest, pregnant man, and troll, among others. The update will also add 75 skin tone variations, five scripts, and new emoji sequences.
'Tears of Joy' is the most used emoji of 2021
Meanwhile, 'Tears of Joy' is the most used emoji of 2021 and accounts for over 5% of the total emojis used, followed by 'red heart' and 'rolling on the floor laughing,' according to the Unicode Consortium. The data reveals that the top 100 emojis, out of the total 3,663, are responsible for 82% of total emoji shares. The least popular category is 'Flags.'
But, where did emojis come from?
'Emoji' is a Japanese word that means pictogram or pictograph i.e. a symbol for a word or phrase. The first emoji set was reportedly created by SoftBank, a Japanese wireless carrier, followed by Shigetaka Kurita, a Japanese interface designer in 1999. These mostly included symbols of clouds, sun, TV, mobile phone, etc. Emojis slowly started gaining popularity in Japan and later around the world.
