We all love a bit of Twitter and what we love even more is using emojis to express ourselves in that well-crafted Tweet.
Twitter has released the Top Most Tweeted Emojis of the year and with over 250 million emojis sent out in Tweets each month, it's safe to say that a fair amount of different emojis are used around the world.
According to Brandwatch's latest Emoji Report, 3.2 billion emojis are used to express joy, sorrow, anger, sadness and love, among many other emotions, each year.
The use of emojis on Twitter still corresponds to the basic idea of the Japanese inventor Shigetaka Kurita, who developed the first 176 emojis.
He designed them in 1998 to express feelings and emotions in a character, which grew in popularity and use due to the character limits of SMS which is similar to Twitter’s original 140-character limit.
Nowadays, there are an incredible 2,789 Emojis available via Unicode.
We would be doing well to figure out how to express all those 2,789 emotions ourselves.
And for the day that's in it, Twitter has released some insights into the use of emojis on the platform, including the emojis used to draw attention to large social and political movements.
And if you are an avid Twitter user you will have noticed that specific hashtags come with a special emoji.
These are usually limited to a certain time or location.
Among the numerous hashtag emojis, there are also some very special ones, which are not known in some countries but are still available.
Some of the most unique hashtag emojis include:
For over a decade now, almost everything that happens in this world has had a hashtag.
Behind hashtags, there are interesting discussions and stories from all areas of the globe.
Some hashtags include a special emoji to draw further attention to these important issues, with visuals driving interest in sharing hashtags amongst diverse communities on Twitter.
Here are some special hashtag emojis activated recently around the world:
#MeToo - the most famous hashtag emoji
Under the hashtag #MeToo, people from all over the world draw attention to everyday sexism and report on their experiences with sexual violence with a symbol of hands raised in the air in unity.
This hashtag campaign has spread like wildfire on Twitter.
To make the discussion on Twitter even more visible and to encourage people to participate and join the conversation, Twitter has created this very special emoji.
#MarchForOurLives – a powerful movement
People standing close together and facing a threat together. What began with a demonstration and climaxed in an emotional speech by Emma Gonzalez quickly grew into an impressive movement.
Thousands of people campaigned on the streets to oppose the threat of weapons and especially the arms lobby.
The activists are not alone on Twitter either. Symbolically, Twitter has added the power of the masses to the hashtag #MarchForOurLives.
#Pride – to love and life!
With a colourful rainbow heart, Twitter and its users celebrate life and love regardless of gender and orientation.
Twitter is the place where inclusion lives, empowering diverse voices and communities across the globe to express themselves and connect. #Pride
#EndAlzheimers - the disease of forgetfulness
Twitter has put a very special emoji alongside the #endalzheimers campaign, which supports Alzheimer's research. Together against oblivion!
#GlobalCitizen - to face the greatest challenges of our time
#GlobalCitizen is an organization committed to women's rights, health, education and development aid worldwide.
Together, people from all over the world face the greatest challenges of our time and try to make a difference together.
Twitter now adds a unique emoji to this very special hashtag.
And there you have it. We might look at emojis as an easy way to instantly express how we are feeling but they also have a more important role in a world of online movements and political debates.
- Digital Desk