Language and imagery have intermingled for millennia of human communication and expression. In many cases, pictographs seem to capture nuance that words alone might miss. But how do Emoji function as a form of language? How have they evolved to reflect their users and what types of communication does their flexibility permit. This week we welcome Morgan Jaffe to explore the linguistic impact Emoji have had on our culture. They present numerous, tangible examples with regard to the law, political issues and creative thinking. How do they reflect a human tendency to identify with and cultivate a visual alphabet? What can our use (or lack thereof) of Emoji teach us about our emotional vocabulary and cultural lexicon?

Further Reading:

Morgan's podcast, Burst Your Bubble

Emojipedia

The Wall Street Journal, "Lawyers Faced With Emojis and Emoticons Are All ¯\_(ツ)_/¯"

The New York Times, "The Emoji Have Won the Battle of Words"

Time, "Meet the 63-Year-Old in Charge of Approving New Emojis"

New York Magazine, "Smile, You're Speaking Emoji: The Rapid Evolution of a Wordless Tongue" 

The Guardian, "Water pistol emoji replaces revolver as Apple enters gun violence debate"

Time, "These Google Employees Made New Gender-Diverse Emojis"

The Guardian, "Am I using this emoji right, or did I accidentally just sext someone?

Time, "This Woman Created Her Own Emoji for Senior Citizens"

Mental Floss, "The Most Popular Emojis Around the World"

The Guardian, "Sign of the times: London company advertises for 'emoji translator'"

Survey Responses from Emily Hurd, Emma McGorray and Sarah Miller.