The concept of the 'emoji' comes from a Japanese term that refers to the characters used in electronic messages and websites. More commonly known as emoticons, they are mostly used in text conversations on smartphones. They come in many shapes and forms, including: facial expressions, transport, food, animals, sports and technology. However, one use which a growing number of NGOs are taking notice of is the possibility of using emojis on social media to make messages more effective.  

By including icons in Facebook posts, tweets, or Instagram photos, the message becomes more impactful for two reasons. Firstly, it generates an emotional link with the audience; emojis often help internet users to empathise with our message. Here’s an example!

                                                      

In addition to this, organizations often aim to provide responses to social issues that require intensified emotional content in order to raise public awareness and rally support, without veering in to sensationalism. Secondly, since online communication is becoming increasingly visual, replacing or accompanying a text with an image is going to attract more attention and encourage the public to interact with our posts. Emojis can be found on sites such as Get Emoji, Emojis Twitter, PiliApp or Fsymbols. Amongst other advantages, emojis:

• Increase popularity on social media
• Remove formality and help create a more informal connection
• Soften criticism or make messages seem friendlier
• Add value to your NGO's communications 
• Neurologists have proved that your followers react in the same way to an emoticon as they would to a human face

A few images of the most popular emojis on Twitter from across the globe are given below.