Recap: Emoji have become a staple of modern digital communication, allowing users to convey emotion across a medium that otherwise lacks a human touch. The pictographs have been around for well over two decades but didn't gain mainstream traction until the 2010s when mobile operating systems including Android and iOS added support for them.
Crossword-Solver recently put together an extensive report highlighting the most popular emoji from around the world. The face with tears of joy is the top emoji globally (it is number one in 75 countries) on Twitter followed by the red heart. The face with tears of joy is used nearly 19 percent more often than the second-place red heart.
In countries where the face with tears of joy or red heart isn't number one, that country's flag almost always reigns supreme.
In the US, the most used emoji is again the face with tears of joy. In the above graphic, Crossword-Solver looked at which emoji is used most above the national average in each state. Interestingly enough, the green Wordle-themed emoji finished on top in this category in a handful of states, as did the fire emoji.
Emoji are likely only going to grow in popularity as the world becomes increasingly digitally connected. WhatsApp, the messaging platform owned by Meta, recently rolled out emoji reactions in the latest version of its app and Google's just-released Android 13 beta 2 includes improvements to Emoji Kitchen.
Image credit: Crossword-Solver