In February 1998, Shigetaka Kurita wanted to humanize texting. He did so by changing : ) to , : ( to  , : D to and perhaps the two most suggestive grammatical entities when put together in 1998, ; ) into .

What Kurita didn’t anticipate was the paramount impact that emoji would have on electronic communication. What started out as an accessory to texting has become a language of its own. It is the fabric of text messaging. Its impact cannot be understated. I have talked to several individuals whose justification for getting the iPhone 6 was not the hardware, battery life or interface; it was but the mere fact that they could send a pixelated — albeit very well pixelated — green heart to cap off a text they could send about how excited they were for Parade Day.

We’re obsessed with smiley faces? This question only reaffirms the disapproving head shakes of baby boomers who are convinced that our obsession with technology has made us stupid, lazy and antisocial. The question arises: Are emojis even necessary?

Yes, they are. The use of emojis in texting is a sign of progression, not regression. Emotions are not abbreviation, in the sense that they do not signify laziness. The use of an emoji is a statement. We reveal a slice of our character when we use an emoji. Their contextual nature puts them on a level so cryptic it rivals ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. Kurita wasn’t aiming purely for practicality when he oversaw the creation of the emoji universe that spans 722 unique characters. The fact that there are 11 train emojis should imply practicality. It would appear that Kurita wanted to create a language so expansive that “I’m running to catch the metro north train” could be replaced by “I’m ”. But no, the time it would take to search through the rapidly expanding subcategories of emojis to find both the “” and the “” would greatly outweigh its textual counterpart. Emojis aren’t practical, but we’ve incorporated them as an integral part of our communication.

Emojis are the dialect of our generation, comparable to a modern-day form of hieroglyphics. They influence social media trends, alter the entire fabric of conversation and prove again that the way we communicate is constantly changing. There’s a reason why they’re called emojis: they provide emotion. Their practical value comes from their emotional value. Emojis make thumbs the window to the soul.

If emoji use is representative of the sender’s emotional intent, how much is revealed about a person’s character based on their emoji use? To answer this I need to track emoji use among a large sample of Binghamton University students. To create a follow-up study, I need your help. Screenshot your recently used emoji page and send it to bbrandw1@binghamton.edu. With enough responses, I’ll publish the results in Pipe Dream. Thank you