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NDTV
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- NDTV
From Cap To Cherry: Guide For Parents To Decode Popular Teen Emoji Slangs
Today is World Emoji Day, commemorating the vibrant world of emojis. July 17 was chosen because it's the date displayed on the calendar emoji on Apple devices, referencing the launch date of Apple's iCal application in 2002. Emojis promote creativity and connection across cultures and languages, but the younger generation (Gen Z and Gen Alpha) has devised a way to use the same icons with hidden meanings that can be positive or negative. Hence, it's time for the parents to learn how their children use these emojis in digital communication. Emojis allow users to convey emotions, reactions and ideas effectively. They can add tone and personality to text-based messages, helping to clarify the intended meaning behind words. Parents need to pay attention to the overall conversation, including the digital image or icon, to understand the intended meanings. Here's a guide for parents to understand The Cherry emoji typically represents the fruit itself, but can also carry other meanings depending on the context. It is used for confidence or swagger, also to express owning a moment or situation. The Skull emoji means "I'm dead" from laughing or shock, replacing the Face with Tears of Joy emoji for Gen Z's unhinged humour. The Cap emoji is used for calling out lies or "capping," similar to "no cap" meaning "no lie". The combination of two eyes and lips emoji means shock, awkwardness, or to say "did that just happen?". Gen Zs use the Peach emoji for a flirty compliment or "you're looking fine". The Eggplant emoji is not just an eggplant; it is used for spicy or NSFW content. Also, the Eyes emoji doesn't just mean watching or paying attention; it is often used when sending or receiving nudes. The Pile Of Poo emoji is used to call out immaturity or childish behaviour, and the Grimacing Face is used to express awkwardness or embarrassment. Emojis like thumbs up and laugh-cry can be perceived as passive-aggressive or insincere by Gen Z, while older generations use them to show approval or laughter. However, it's essential to consider the context and audience when using emojis as slang. Different generations or cultures might interpret emojis differently, and some may find them confusing or unprofessional. Overall, emojis have become an integral part of online language, allowing users to convey emotions and ideas in a creative and visually appealing way. By understanding the meanings behind popular emojis, individuals can enhance their digital communication and connect with others more effectively.
The Citizen
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
It's World Emoji Today😂: The Power of Emojis
📅 Every year on July 17th, the world pauses for a moment, not to draft long texts or write eloquent messages, but to drop a little emoji that says it all. World Emoji Day celebrates the faces that speak louder than words It's World Emoji Day, and the tiny icons that once seemed like digital doodles are now a global language of laughter, love, and everything in between. 🌍 The emoji-volution Believe it or not, emojis are younger than most millennials' cellphone contracts. It all started in Japan in 1999 when Shigetaka Kurita created the very first emoji set, a modest 176 pictograms for a mobile internet platform. These weren't just cute icons; they were designed to convey emotional context where plain text fell flat. Shigetaka Kurita. Picture: Instagram However, emojis went global in 2011 when Apple introduced the emoji keyboard to iOS, closely followed by Android devices. Suddenly, we had an arsenal of facial expressions, food items, zodiac signs, and strangely specific modes of transportation (why is there a canoe and a gondola?) to pepper our messages with. 📆 Why July 17th? Jeremy Burge Emoji. Picture: Instagram Look closely at the calendar emoji 📅 and you'll notice something curious: the date displayed is July 17. That's because it marks the launch of Apple's iCal calendar app in 2002. When Emojipedia founder Jeremy Burge noticed this, he declared July 17 as World Emoji Day back in 2014, and the internet ran with it. Today, World Emoji Day is a real thing. Brands use it to drop campaigns, social media goes wild, and sometimes even new emojis are announced. Yes, it's a whole thing now, because why not? ALSO READ:New button-based smartphone for the visually impaired launched in South Africa 😂 The emoji GOAT So, which emoji rules them all? According to Unicode Consortium (yes, the emoji overlords are real), the face with tears of joy 😂 consistently tops the list as the world's most-used emoji. Why? Because the internet loves irony, chaos, and laughing through the pain. Other top contenders include the red heart ❤️, the rolling-on-the-floor-laughing 🤣, the pleading face 🥺, and the fire emoji 🔥, often used in compliments or when someone posts a selfie that melts timelines. 💬 More than just cute icons Emojis aren't just for giggles. They're shaping the way we communicate. Studies show that using emojis in messages boosts engagement and makes digital convos feel more human. There has even been academic research into the semantics of emojis. Yes, your PhD could be about whether the upside-down face means sarcasm or existential dread (spoiler: it's both). So go on, send a wink 😉, drop a confetti cannon 🎉, or passive-aggressively end your text with a thumbs up 👍. After all, it's World Emoji Day, and these tiny symbols are doing big things.
