It applies to almost every instance. Got a new job? Crying emoji. Ludicrous date? Crying emoji. Dog fell off the sofa? Crying emoji. That little yellow circle with tears streaming down its face has officially been named the most popular emoji worldwide, according to data from Google shared with The New York Times. Looking through my most frequented Whatsapp chat, in the last 72 hours, I’ve used it 15 times – 😭😭😭.
While the original cry-laughing face and its diagonal sibling have traditionally been used to convey joy digitally, their overuse has essentially rendered them a bit toe-curling. Want to show your age? Send one to anyone below the age of 30 and see them send a (dead from laughing) skull back. Honourable mentions also go to: the two beers emoji, the monkey covering its eyes and the sunglasses smiley. They can all get – unless used with irony – firmly in the digital bin.
