With a new set about to be released, it’s time to consider how these little symbols enhance the way we communicate
Throughout history, writing systems have reflected available technologies. Ancient Mesopotamian cuneiform featured triangles and lines because the characters were impressed into clay with a dowel; ancient Germanic runes were distinguished by angular shapes instead of curves because they were etched into stone. Now, with electronic writing and emojis at our fingertips, even those without any artistic talent can easily “write” a number of pictorial symbols, from a smirk to a syringe, from a bento box to a pregnant man.
With emojis on the mind following the Unicode Consortium’s recently released draft of the newest forthcoming set, Emoji 14.0, it is a good time to ponder the relationship between emojis and the mind. Research conducted within the last few years has allowed us to begin answering some of these questions, such as whether emojis are language – and whether we can think in emojis.