I love emojis/emoticons, and the brevity of words and emotions that they convey. But, man, I tend to misuse them a lot. As much as I’d like to use them in every correspondence, I don’t for fear of conveying the wrong message or unintentionally offending someone.

One day, I overheard one daughter ask the other: “why did Mom disliked this and emphasized that?”
The other responded: “Mom doesn’t even know the meaning; she just uses whatever!”

😆 I mused to myself – at least one knows that it’s done ignorantly.

Here’s a recent chat:

After the above chat, I decided to research emojis and their meanings with the goal of having a handy resource to check before using. I found Emojipedia and it was an interesting find. For example, I often use 🙏🏾 to convey “thanks,” “gratitude,” and/or “praying for you.” But Emojipedia simply calls it the folded hands. The ‘pedia also doesn’t recommend instances of when the emojis could be used. Aside from emojis that are obviously self-implied, could it be that we are all using and interpreting those emojis subjectively? 🤔. Anyhow,

Emoji Releases

The first version of Emojis were released on August 3rd, 2015 and it included “all emojis approved between 2010—2015.”

Since then, various versions/updates have been released. Versions that integrated skin tones, genders, professions, flags, colored shapes, mixed skin tones, handshakes, etc. The latest version, Emoji 15.1, was released on September 12, 2023. Emoji 16.0 is scheduled for release in the Fall of this year.

Cluck on any of the link above to view the version. While on the timeline, you can click on each button to see the various versions to-date.

Final thoughts

Now I have the Emojipedia, but still the emojis are subject to my interpretation. I might still go on another research for a resource with the emoji meanings and suggested uses.

I hope that I haven’t sent you, or used, the wrong emoji in any comments or conversations with you.

Now you know … 😎 [this face with sunglasses = cool or chill]. I hope you agree. If not, let me know your interpretation.