Will ‘Melting Face’ Be The Next Emoji To Go Viral?

Smartphone emoji keyboards could be getting a face-melting new update in the near future. Emojis have been part of how everyone communicates online for more than a decade. Since their initial introduction on devices, a total of 3,633 emoticons have become available to users worldwide and covering topics from food to flags. Emojis have proven so popular that Hollywood even made a movie about them in 2017. Music artists have adopted different emojis to promote their music and emojis have also made their way to clothing and even furniture. An emoji was even chosen as the ‘word of the year’ by Oxford Dictionaries in 2015

Emojis were first added to a mobile device in 1997 by J-Phone (SoftBank) in Japan. The initial set featured a rudimentary selection of numbers, sports, time, moon phases, weather, and poop. The catalog of emojis would continue to grow to the point where it was eventually added to the Unicode Standard by the Unicode Consortium in 2010. Since their inclusion on smart devices, the selection has grown to be more inclusive through greater representation of people of color and LGBT+ members among others.

The latest update announced on Emojipedia outlines each of the new Unicode 14.0 smileys millions of users around the world will have access to after they are eventually released in the coming months. One of those that seems likely to prove popular with users is the face-melting, but smiling emoji. The concept of being calm on the outside while everything is going wrong is likely to perfectly represent many in high-stress situations. Not to mention, just to express those times when the heat really is too much to take.

Trolls, Heart Hands, And More

Also included in the latest round of emojis is a pregnant man and pregnant person, allowing more people to better reflect their lives through a single touch of a button. Trolls will finally be represented with their very own emoji as well, perfect for calling out some on social media and forums. There’s also a lip-biting emoji which is likely to prove useful in many situations that generate excitement. Face with Peeking Eye and a Saluting Face are other new additions along with hand-heart shapes available in varying skin tones. In total, there are 838 new characters including 37 brand new emoji that may or may not prove popular with users.

There is no word yet on when the new set of Unicode 14.0 emojis will become available for use on smartphones and other devices as their availability will depend on when third-party companies begin rolling support out as part of a software update. Also, and as per usual with emojis, each will look slightly different depending on the device being used. For example, Apple emojis look similar but not identical to Android or those used on Twitter.

Source: Emojipedia

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