New research published by TalkTalk Mobile in the UK has found that Emoji is the fastest growing language on the planet.
The study revealed that 80% of Brits are using emojis to communicate, with 62% claiming they are using the new language more than they were a year ago, and 4 in 10 claiming to have sent messages made up entirely of emoji.
Jessica Moloney, social media marketing manager at Spark, says the numbers are no surprise.
"Kiwis have really embraced emojis and increasingly we see our customers are using them to communicate with us on social media," she says. "It isn't just young people anymore, the faces and symbols are proving useful for everyone.
Moloney says an emoji can be a quick and effective way to convey tone and emotion in digital communication. "Kiwis may have a reputation for being less out-there than some other nations, but we're taking to emoji as a great way to get our feelings across and reduce the chances of being misunderstood," she says.
"And there is plenty of science behind this. Researcher shave shown that, given the choice, people prefer to use emojis to make their tone and meaning clear.
Moloney adds, "We know that some people are feeling so familiar with this language now, they have entire conversations in emoji."
