Meta Celebrates Safer Internet Day @Meta #MetaParentEvent

Hi Guys, 

To mark Safer Internet Day, Meta reminds teens of the tools available to help keep them safe on our platforms, resources available for parents and guardians on the Family Centre, and training available like My Digital World which provides accessible learning modules and resources to build skills for a digital world.

Helping Teens Focus and Set Boundaries

Meta wants young people to foster their online relationships in an environment where they feel safe. Meta doesn't allow harmful content, or content or behaviour that exploits young people. They work closely with experts in mental health, child psychology, digital literacy and more, to build features and tools so people can connect online safely and responsibly.

Meta has made huge strides in this space over the past year, including defaulting teens into more private settings at sign up, helping to protect teens against unwanted interactions from adults who don’t follow them, and offering tools for teens to spend more meaningful time online with features like 'Take a Break' and ‘Nudges’ that encourage teens to both spend time away from Instagram and explore different topics while on Instagram. Meta is removing more content that violates its policies and making potentially sensitive content more difficult to find.

Tips for teens:

Build positive online habits with features like 'Take a Break' - spend more meaningful time online using features like 'Take a Break' and ‘Nudges’ that encourage you to both spend time away from Instagram and explore different topics while on Instagram.

Control what you see on Explore in settings - you can now choose to hide multiple pieces of content in Explore that you are not interested in.

Prevent potentially offensive comments with ‘Hidden words’ - a tool which, when turned on, will automatically filter DM requests containing offensive words, phrases and emojis, so you never have to see them.

Protect your account and turn on two-factor authentication - One of the most important things you can do to protect your account is to turn on two-factor authentication.

Supporting Parents

Meta is committed to supporting parents and guardians. It recently launched its Family Center, which has educational resources from leading youth and safety, privacy, and well-being experts on how to have conversations with your teens about healthy and safe online habits.

Meta has also been developing parental controls that help parents and teens navigate their time online together (designed to strike the right balance between giving parents oversight, while preserving teens’ privacy and autonomy, and encouraging offline conversations about online habits). 

These tools allow parents and guardians to: 

• see who their teen follows and who follows them;
• see when their teen shares, they’ve reported or blocked someone;
• see when their teen changes any of the default privacy settings; and
• see how much time their teen is spending on Instagram, set daily limits and schedule breaks when they don’t want their teen to be using the app.

Meta’s vision for the Family Center is to eventually allow parents and guardians to help their teens manage experiences across Meta technologies, all from one central place.

In the meantime, here are some tips for parents and guardians to get the conversation started:

• Take the time to talk to your teen about what they get up to online.
• Use open-ended questions to start conversations about what your teen enjoys online.
• Choose your moment and talk to them when you’re doing something together.
• Share your own experiences and talk about your online life.
• Be open and ensure your teen knows they can speak to you about any issues.

Read more on Instagram Parents Guide

Aum Namah Shivay!

Till next time...Aashish

Thanks! Cheers!!!

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4 Ways Meta’s Family Center helps Protect Children and Teens Online #MetaParentEvent

Hi Guys, 

The Internet and social media platforms have evolved into spaces everyone can participate in. More and more young people are coming online to connect with their family and friends over things that matter to them. It’s important for parents to have open and honest dialogues with their teens about online safety, empowering themselves to stay safe online using free tools and resources available.

Meta works with experts in mental health, child psychology, digital literacy and more, to build features and tools so people can connect online safely and responsibly.

In addition to offering a wide range of online safety and privacy tools across its platforms, Meta’s newly launched Family Center in South Africa is an online portal that gives power to parents and provides them with the means to safeguard their children and teens. Available across Meta technologies such as Instagram, the Family Center offers tools and resources to manage digital experiences across digital ecosystems.

Here are four ways Meta’s Family Center and platforms enable parents to support their children online.

1. Supervision tools

By linking Meta accounts, parents can unlock a wide range of supervision tools that let them actively participate in their child’s digital activity. And, while teenagers don’t always think it’s cool that parents are on the app too, having an online presence can be very beneficial.

Using Family Center on Instagram, parents can monitor who their teens are following and who follows them, as well as how much they spend on the platform every day. They can also set daily time limits to manage the time spent scrolling.

2. Education Hub

Not every parent knows how to approach the topic of online safety, or how to enforce it. That’s why Family Center’s Education Hub is an invaluable resource, providing parents with tips, insight, and comprehensive articles that help them and their families navigate online spaces.

Education Hub features expert input from leading parental organisations that specialise in media literacy, safety and communication, privacy, and overall digital well-being.

3. Healthy habits

South Africans are hooked on social media platforms, spending an average of three hours and 44 minutes online each day – more than the global average. Spending so much time online can result in us developing habits, which is why it’s vital that young people develop healthy ones.

For teens on Instagram, the ‘Take a Break’ feature allows them to make informed decisions and take control of how much time they spend on the app. If a user has spent a certain amount of time scrolling, Instagram will ask them if they want to take a break and suggest setting reminders to take more breaks in the future.

In January Meta also introduced Quiet Mode on Instagram, a new feature to help people focus and to encourage them to set boundaries with their friends and followers. For example, when you turn on Quiet Mode, you won’t receive any notifications, your profile’s activity status will change to let people know you’re in Quiet Mode, and Meta will automatically send an auto-reply when someone sends you a DM. Meta is making Quiet Mode available to everyone on Instagram globally in the coming weeks.

4. Privacy by default

A big part of being in online spaces is the level of privacy those spaces provide. As such, there should always be privacy safeguards in place that determine what information other users can and cannot see.

For instance, Facebook users under the age of 16 are defaulted to certain privacy settings. This includes who can see their friends list, the people and Pages they follow, posts that they’re tagged in, and who can comment on their public posts.

These are just some of the ways that platforms like Facebook and Instagram work to maintain online safety and privacy.

“It’s only by taking a holistic approach, by offering comprehensive resources and effective methods to set and monitor boundaries, that we can make a real difference in young people’s lives. We want to help them connect and foster relationships in a safe and secure environment,” said Sylvia Musalagani, Safety Policy Manager for Africa, the Middle East and Turkey at Meta.

Aum Namah Shivay!

Till next time...Aashish

Thanks! Cheers!!!

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Time to get Reel: 5 Benefits of #Facebook and #Instagram's Editing Tools for Reels @Meta

Hi Friends, 

The article is written by Moon Baz, Head of Creator Partnerships, Middle East, Africa and Turkey, Meta

As cultural and societal trends change, social media is helping creators make a living through the engaging content they create. Individual creators are leading the shift toward a more open entertainment and education landscape, shaping culture along the way. These creators are constantly looking for new ways to make their imagination and ideas come to life, searching for new tools to help them make and promote their content. That’s where Facebook and Instagram come in.

Across Facebook and Instagram, people are discovering and watching videos in diverse formats from Stories and Facebook Watch to Facebook Live and Reels. Reels is one of many tools we’re investing in to support creators’ various needs to help them create engaging video content and foster a sustainable business, whether they’re just getting started or already have an established brand. We’re seeing that short-form video is an increasing part of how people consume content.

Let’s dive into some of the benefits of the new collection of short-form video and audio editing tools now available to creators on Facebook and Instagram, and how easy it is for you to create your next short-form masterpiece.

A convenient way to post

We are almost always on the go. For those of us who don’t spend our days working in an office or at home, it’s essential that platforms give us the option to schedule and upload posts wherever we are and on whatever device we use.

That’s why, in addition to Android and iOS smartphones, users can now create, edit, and publish Facebook Reels via the Creator Studio on their web browsers. The studio lets users schedule when their Reels go live, giving them the chance to coordinate and manage their content at any time.

Flex your creative muscles

A creator’s work is only as good as the tools they have to work with. And, in the case of digital content, people are always coming up with new and exciting ways to make their work unique. New video clipping tools for Facebook Reels on the desktop can help with that. Users can take existing long-form videos and cut them into short-form versions.

You should also never have to stifle your creativity or try to jam it into a less-than-ideal timeframe. Over on Instagram Reels, creators can now publish videos of up to 90 seconds, giving videos more breathing space and users the opportunity to show off awesome content.

Find inspiration

Sometimes we need a little help to get our creative juices flowing, which is where Templates come in.

If you’re struggling to come up with a new idea for a Reel, you can create one by preloading visual and audio placeholders and then replacing them with the photos and videos you want to include. When you explore Templates, you’ll discover the latest trending audio and transitions that are resonating with people around the world, all of which can help you create some of your most original and inspiring content yet. You can also create new Reels from the ground up using the template of another Reel you've just watched, right down to the same video and audio sequences.

Entice and engage your audience

Instagram has come a long way in enabling users to engage and interact with audiences. And it only makes sense that the way content is created reflects our growing levels of digital immersion.

Reels now feature the ever-changing library of stickers from Instagram Stories, including polls, quizzes, and emojis. There’s something for everyone, and thanks to stickers, users can personalise their Reels and make them more unique than ever before.

Make it sound as good as it looks

Many of us watch videos with the sound off. Maybe it’s because we’re around other people and we don’t have earphones, or because we’re not that engaged with what we’re seeing. Because of that, content creators face a tough challenge incorporating sound into their content that’s both complementary and manages to show off their creative abilities.

Sound Sync is a way for creators to match their Facebook video clips to the beat of a song or piece of audio, giving them the chance to publish content that pops out the speakers as much as it does off the screen. The feature is also available to Instagram users. When they choose the Superbeat effect, the app will apply visual effects to the music that’s playing and match its rhythm. Users can also apply 2D and 3D lyric effects that let your followers sing along to the music while they’re watching.

Facebook Reels also now support recording voiceovers, which means you can narrate your videos, share more insight, and engage with your followers. Meanwhile, creators on Instagram Reels can import audio directly from outside the app. This is for those spur-of-the-moment posts, or when you want to access audio that’s special to you.

All these features and more are what make Facebook and Instagram the go-to places to create and publish engaging, quality digital content.

Cheers!!!

Contact me at thelifesway@gmail.com to collaborate on your services and products. Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel for product reviews and mystery unboxings. #TheLifesWay #10YearsofTheLifesWay. Support me if you want with USD 10 - https://www.patreon.com/TheLifesWay Namaste!

Make Travel Easier and More Enriching With Your Smartphone @HuaweiZA #HuaweiPsmart2021

Hi Friends, 

In this day and age, smartphones have become almost permanent extensions of our lives. The reason most people keep their phones so close is not just purely entertainment value but because of the fact that our phones are very useful, especially when on the go. From things like navigation apps, translations, photography and making reservations, our phones have radically changed the way we travel. And the HUAWEI P Smart 2021 will prove invaluable to you when planning your next trip.

Capture beautiful memories

As much as going on a holiday is about being present and limiting screen time, this doesn’t mean you have to stow your phone away for the entire trip; how else are you going to capture beautiful sunsets? Especially because the HUAWEI P Smart 2021 is equipped with a quad AI camera that includes a 48MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth camera. Together, these cameras, and their impressive resolutions, will capture even the smallest details to the widest landscapes.

Also, safari selfies are a thing on Instagram, and we all know it’s bad manners to deprive followers of an Instaworthy out-in-the wild selfie. The phone’s front-facing camera, which delivers crystal-clear selfies, and the automatically activated circular flash will ensure you look sharp and vivid even in low-light environments. So, go ahead and snap away and don’t forget to post on Instagram (because without a safari picture, were you even there?).

Stay on track

Being on vacation is mostly about rest, but exploring your new space can also be fun. The last thing you want to do is for your smartphone to run out of battery, especially if you don’t know your way around. How else are you going to find your way back to your Airbnb? With the phone’s 5000mAh, AI power-saving, eight power reduction solutions and 22.5W SuperCharge, which allows you to charge your battery in no time, you can rest assured that you won’t be needing to remember where the yellow brick road is, as your phone’s battery will still be powered up.

Yes, to plenty of storage space!

Whether you’re planning a road trip playlist, or planning Saturday movie night, you won’t need to worry about how much music and how many videos to upload, as storage on the HUAWEI P Smart 2021 is not a problem. The 4GB RAM effectively allows you to run multiple apps simultaneously and switch between them fluidly, while the 128GB ROM brings you large storage for all your favourite photos, videos, games and music.

While vacations are all about relaxation, it may be hard to put the HUAWEI P Smart 2021 down but at least you won’t feel too guilty about it because you will have amazing pictures and videos to reflect on when you’re back to working from home.

The HUAWEI P Smart 2021 is available on contract with this great deal at operators including Vodacom, MTN, Telkom and Cell C starting from R279 for post-paid contracts. You can also purchase it from the Huawei online store.

Cheers!!!

Support me if you like reading this blog post by buying me a cup of tea or coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheLifesWay Contact at thelifesway@gmail.com to collaborate and promote your services and products. Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel for giveaways, product reviews and mystery unboxings. #TheLifesWay #9YearsofTheLifesWay. Namaste!

The Rise And Rise Of The #Smartphone @SamsungMobileSA #SmartphoneApps

Hi Friends,

Can you even imagine your life without your smartphone? It hasn’t taken long for these must-have devices to become an essential and integral part of daily life. It’s estimated that as much as 58.7% of the world use smartphones.[i] But how have they changed the way we do things?

Well, just 10 years ago, most people couldn’t conceive of having an actual conversation with a mobile device. Now it’s common to have an intricate chat with your very own built-in personal assistant, like Bixby. From getting directions and restaurant recommendations to dictating e-mails or ordering flowers online for your mom, smartphones and their assistants can do just about anything.

Today most people simply can’t imagine life without one – smartphones have evolved to such an extent that they’ve moved way beyond mere communication to being a constant companion that’s geared to learn your unique needs and make your life easier to navigate. The millions of apps that can be downloaded and used can help you track your health, control your connected appliances, give you directions, remind you of appointments and even edit videos or build websites.

Doing business on a mobile device has gone beyond sitting in a coffee shop making endless phone calls. E-mails, internet research, design and invoicing are all now possible. Capturing images and videos on the go has never been easier and in-built security features like Knox make it entirely safe to conduct business wherever you are. When it comes to education, learners not only have access to the internet but also to the world’s best teachers and experts, through their devices.

According to a survey, almost half of Smartphone users use their phones to access health-related services.[ii] Whether it’s to use an app to monitor glucose levels or verify a prescription, a fitness tracker or healthy recipe finder, smartphones have impacted the way people interact with their own health and wellness.

Social media accounts for almost two hours each day, with the top apps being YouTube, Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter.[iii]

In 2012, the editor of the website The Next Web, catalogued devices that were made obsolete by smartphones. His list included MP3 players, point-and-shoot digital cameras, GPS, alarm clocks, flashlights, handheld gaming systems, e-readers, voice recorders, dictionaries, infrared remotes and web-conferencing devices. This is a lot longer now.

A recent British poll indicated that using a smartphone to make phone calls doesn’t even reach the top 10 reasons for owning one. The majority of people cited the following regarding their smartphone use: texting – 88%; e-mail – 70%, Facebook – 62%, camera – 61%, reading news – 58%, online shopping - 56%, checking the weather – 54%, WhatsApp – 51%, Banking – 45%, watching videos on YouTube – 42%.[iv]

Craige Fleischer, Vice President of Integrated Mobility say, “Most people don’t realize that as early as 2001, Samsung was already building smartphones – the SPH-1300 came out in October that year. And that was just the beginning of the smartphone rise. From the BlackJack line to the Instinct, which was before Android, to the Omnia with TouchWiz and then the current star of the smartphone show – the Galaxy S line.”

Even with all the incredible tech now in the palm of your hand, the evolution of the smartphone is still in its infancy – technological innovation is consistently moving ahead of the curve, with giants like Samsung leading the race to intuitively address user’s future needs and desires.

 

[i] https://deviceatlas.com/blog/17-mobile-market-statistics-you-should-know-2017
[ii] https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/2c28/0b6a690442a97a571e09b2404e2d21720db4.pdf
[iii] http://mediakix.com/2016/12/how-much-time-is-spent-on-social-media-lifetime/#gs.C5SGcjM
[iv] https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/778572/Smartphone-phone-common-reason-use-call

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Support me if you like reading this blog post by buying me a cup of tea or coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/TheLifesWay Contact at thelifesway@gmail.com to collaborate and promote your services and products. Subscribe to my YOUTUBE Channel for giveaways, product reviews and mystery unboxings. #TheLifesWay #9YearsofTheLifesWay. Namaste!

Strong #Demand Brought Significant #Growth @HuaweiZA #P9 #P9Plus #Smartphones

Hi Guys, 

Huawei Consumer Business Group South Africa announced sales of its newest flagship smartphones, the P9 and P9 Plus, have achieved unprecedented sales since the launch on June 2nd. This follows the P-series global success which saw over 2.6 million devices sold within the first six weeks from launch, an increase of 130 percent from the P9’s predecessor, the P8. Huawei’s global market share has increased to 8.5 percent, supported by aggressive growth in the South African market. 

“P9 and P9 lite device sales in South Africa have exceeded even our bullish expectations. South African consumers are smart buyers and recognize the combination of features, style, and the Leica co-engineered camera, making the P9 the best smartphone buy available,” said Charlene Munilall, General Manager for Huawei Consumer Business Group South Africa.

“During 2015 we doubled our market share in South Africa by bringing the consumer desired devices, with the best features, to market, and we’re on track to do the same again in 2016.”

During Q1 2016, Huawei shipped 28.3 million units globally, a 64 percent increase year-over-year. High consumer demand for P9 device, with its notable Leica co-engineered dual lens, is the driver behind Huawei’s rapid acquisition of market share both locally and globally.

“Huawei is focused on creating premium devices that exhibit our dedication to flawless design and technological innovation,” said Richard Yu, CEO, Huawei Consumer Business Group. “These high end devices are attracting more fans than ever before, who want to use the latest and most innovative smartphone technology. When consumers around the world are lining up to be the first to buy Huawei’s flagship smartphones, as they have for the P9 and P9 Plus, it's clear the appeal of our devices is universal.” 

Huawei collaborated with Leica Camera AG to create the P9’s and P9 Plus’s signature dual-lens camera, resulting in aesthetically-stunning devices that deliver amazing true-to-life color pictures. The dual-lens camera takes smartphone photography to the next level, allowing users to capture both vivid colors and striking black and white images.

I am really looking forward to one of the review units to reach me. I would love to use the same as my day-to-day device too if given an opportunity. 

For more information, please visit: www.consumer.huawei.com To receive regular updates, please follow the brand on: Facebook: facebook.com/huaweidevicesouthafrica

Twitter: twitter.com/HuaweiZA

Instagram: instagram.com/HuaweiZA

Cheers!!!

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7 Tips For #Snapping Better #Pictures With Your #Smartphone #HTCOneLifeSA

Hi Guys, 

Smartphones have democratized photography, giving everyone the opportunity to unlock their creativity. Though it’s easy to snap a picture, it takes some technical suss and imagination to create a photograph that will get your friends on Facebook and Instagram talking. 

The good news, however, is that nearly anyone can learn how to take great snaps, provided they learn some basic disciplines and practice them until they become second nature. And with camera technology in smartphones improving all the time, these devices help you to capture meaningful moments and beautiful images wherever you are. After all, the best camera is the one with you, which is most likely to be your phone. It's getting so difficult to carry the DSLRs these days when you have 13-16MPs capacity camera sitting right in your pockets. 

Here are some general tips from HTC for using your smartphone camera to capture better photos: 

1. Pay attention to your background

Don’t get so caught up in focusing on your subject that you pay no attention to the background. For example, you don’t want to include the pavement rubbish bins when you’re taking a photo of your friend. Rather move closer or ask the person you’re photographing to step to the side to exclude the unwanted detail from the frame. 

2. Choose a perspective

Take your photographs from unusual perspectives to create interesting effects. Shoot upwards from a low angle to make things look large, or take your shot from a higher angle make things look smaller or to capture a larger area of detail

3. Zoom with your feet

Zooming with your camera phone results in pixelation and increases sensitivity to camera shake, resulting in blurred imagery. Rather get closer to your subject for the perfect close-up.

4. Avoid camera shake

To lessen camera shake, be as still as possible while shooting: take a deep breath in, hold, snap, breathe out.

5. Avoid using your flash

Using flash can give your photos a sterile, over-lit look, which can be especially harsh on faces. If you must use flash, why not cover it with some tracing paper to soften the effect?

6. Learn which apps and filters you love

Experiment with filters apps like Instagram to create a style that you like. When people see a pic with a particular filter, they’ll recognise your style. Pro tip: The VSCO app provides filters that are emulations of popular film cameras. There are hundreds of combinations you can create with the number of filters provided. 

7. Use apps to enhance your photos

Great photos are made in the editing process. Pro photographers almost always touch up their photos to get the exact look and effect they want. An app like Snapseed offers you basic editing tools and some cool filters to get you started. It also offers some features for heavy-duty editing once you’re more experienced.

I know everyone is master in their own art and style of photography they do and post on social media. Do share your comments and let's learn together and improve on our skills of mobile photography. 

Cheers!!!

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#Emoji: Language Killer, Parasite Or Symbiosis? By Donovan White, Digital Strategist @Native VML

Hi Guys,

Earth. Population 7.2 Billion and a whopping 6500 languages being spoken every day.

Africa. The second most populous continent in the world with 1.1 Billion people and almost 2000 languages are spoken daily. Amongst the languages spoken on our beautiful continent, UNESCO has listed 79 African languages as critically endangered, 66 severely endangered, 51 as definitely endangered and 44 are vulnerable. The nature of the issue crosses all four corners of Africa.

To the west, only four people who can speak Njerep remain and in the east, only 6 people in Ethiopia can speak Ongota. South Africa may be home to four of the most widely spoken languages in Africa, namely English, Afrikaans, Xhosa and Zulu, and boast the largest amount of official languages in the world, but we still have some of the saddest statistics when it comes to critically endangered languages. Nǀuu or Nǀhuki is a Khoisan language and when last checked in 2013, only 3 people in the world could speak it and they live in different areas of South Africa. Griqua or more correctly known as Xirikwa or ǃOra is another example, where less than 30 speakers exist in the world. One could easily blame Africa’s colonisation for the state of the diversity of mother tongues. After all Portuguese, French, English and Arabic are the four most commonly spoken languages.

Emoji sapping the life out of language

Perhaps there is something, though. In the Internet Age, speaking one of these languages means African countries can be more inclusive to information, education and trade online, creating a commonality that has allowed each of the 54 states to be inclusive of the global village. Beyond this, even these commonly held languages are beginning to feel the strain. Like ‘video killing the radio star’ and colonisation killing the oral tribe culture, mobile could quickly be fingered for killing the oral and written culture. Without sounding dramatic, Emoji, as a parasitic ‘language’, could be the culprit for the abuse and ultimate death of written language. 

The emoji is creeping into each and every language written online today and this is largely due to the impact of mobile messaging. In South Africa, 15.46 Million people make use of the web daily. According to Global Web Index studies, 68% of South Africans use WhatsApp, 44% use Facebook Messenger, 27% use BBM, 25% Skype, 11% WeChat and 2% use Snapchat. All creating fertile ground for the undiscriminating tapeworm of the language world to feed off its hosts. The situation only really became that evident after an emoji () was announced as the 2015 Oxford word of the year. Emojitracker.com/ is a real-time tracker of emoji use on Twitter. If you don’t want an epileptic fit or have a weak stomach I don’t suggest visiting the site, however. The nauseating () real-time statistic boards show that the Oxford word of the year had been used 1 074 015 124 (at the time of writing). We may look at this and see a giant storm brewing, especially when Kim Kardashian West launched her Kimoji late in 2015 . We may have more things to worry about than the difference between ‘there’, ‘their’, and ‘they’re’ .

Understanding the beast

Despite the saddening prospect of languages dying, we shouldn’t get over ‘emojinal’ about the natural evolution of how we communicate. Because emoji are so ubiquitous, we may actually be experiencing a de-babel-isation of the world, making it easier to understand each other, despite our differences . Linguistics of Emoji is beginning to emerge slowly but surely. Instagram’s Emojineering study shows the rise Emoji in everyday online language, but also managed to linguistically study the phenomenon, finding that emoji have synonyms, syntax and homonyms. The study started in 2011 when iOS included emoji into the iPhone keyboard and expanded the research to when Instagram was opened up to Android users and when the operating system updated its native keyboard with emoji in 2013 . By April 2015, Instagram found that nearly 50% of all communication included emoji in posts and comments. Finland was found to use emoji the most, while Tanzanians use emoji the least, making up a mere 10% of all Instagram communication.

In trying to understand meaning in emoji through natural language processing (translating the small images into the language through intuition called the distributional hypothesis), the image sharing platform found that on the surface, an image such as would directly be ‘translated’ into ‘elephant’. Many emoji turned out to be semantically similar to the English language (which makes use of hashtags as well, such as being linked to “haha or LOL”). Upon digging deeper, Emojineers found that as the use of emoji increased, so the use of internet slang decreased.

Often I hear my Xhosa or Afrikaans friends having to tell a joke in their native language because certain words just lose their emotion when told in English. Of course, that is how emoji got its name, because of the emotional feel it gave in the gut in the same way. In attempts to try translate emoji into English, Instagram found that often emoji are not used in isolation and when used together, the visual representations give rise to a whole new meaning. In attempts to map out emoji with the closest meaning (synonyms), they found that vastly different and unassuming emoji may mean the same thing. For example (nose) is closely related to (see no evil monkey) when talking about (toilet). The deduced outcome is therefore that when written language, emoji and hashtags are used together, a whole new semantic arises. It also shows that the conjunction of emoji into ‘complex sentences’ shows that they are also contextual and kudos to Instagram for attempting to study this phenomenon, after all, they have been the first to offer search by emoji and to create hashtag emoji in attempts to further their study. 

Emoji as a barometer for the state of society

Emoji and digital sticker creator, Swyft Media conducted their own research into the use of emoji in the world and found that 6 billion emoji are used every single day. That would almost be an emoji per person on earth. What emerged seemed to show cultural differences in the use of emoji and this got me thinking that the use of these visuals could tell us a story about the state of the world. While Oju may have beaten Apple in the race to create diversified emoji with the release of their Loerie Award winning Afro-emoji, iOS has been pivotal in showing the world how people think and the dominant ideologies that may be shifting or intensifying. By looking at the Swyft results in conjunction with emoji tracker, it could show interesting shifts. Female emoji () are more used than Male () emoji, showing patriarchy may actually be falling. On a materialistic front money () and clothing (, , , , ) proves to be more used and, therefore, more important than pets (,, , ) or even food (,,,)

In western English contexts, Female-oriented emoji, LGBT and Tech tend to be the most commonly used and accepted emoji, while emoji used in conjunction with Arabic reveal a male and time focus, with a dash of flowAers as a surprise. Africans came out showing their love for the world with the predominant use of , while Australians show their enjoyment for drinking through the use of beer emoji . Canadians seem to be coming out as the raunchiest and the most violent thinking nation through the use of emoji as innuendo. Food Porn comes to life in Canada as men tend to show off their , while females tend to show off their more than anywhere else in the world.

Real world consequences of Emoji

As the world starts to understand the use and meaning of emoji, especially in context and complex sentences, the real world consequences of using emoji are heating up. There is a definite psychology to using and interpreting emoji as Mark Kohler, Owen Churches and Myra Thiessen et al. tried to figure out in their study, Emoticons in mind: An event-related potential study. Take Osiris Aristy who uploaded a photo of himself on Facebook smoking a crack pipe with the caption, “Beanz put me out early but I’m doing what I do skrap. ”. New York cops were less concerned about the drugs being used and more concerned with the threat to kill policemen through the use of three guns to a policeman emoji. In a post- 9/11 world, the 17- year- old found himself being arrested on terror charges. In addition to the fact that emoji are easy to use, the fact that we hide behind our mobile screens, and that the world is still figuring out each character’s definition, makes emoji slightly dangerous, especially since emoji got racially diverse . They could easily end up as a form of racism, sexism, or homophobia.

With the rise of a new form of communication, it is refreshing to see how the marketing world is celebrating and embracing the evolution of language. Brands are embracing emoji in a huge way and it is extending beyond the digital canvas. The caution here, however ,is that brands may be using them without scrutinising the potential messages because creatives are using them as direct translations as part of the English language, such as on the latest Deadpool Movie billboard which sported “ L “ in theatres 12 Feb”. There may be another meaning. Don’t be the English brand that tattoos itself with Chinese symbols, just for it to end up meaning something like “Cheap ” or “lover”.

A personal favourite in this regard came to me when a red soft-drink came out with emoji on their cans. Besides the fun of using emoji, the rational for using them is clear, clever and in line with their core marketing purpose, to unite humanity. Personally, the move away from how emoji looked universally ended up looking like an advert for Kotex. Brands need to evolve with the times to stay relevant, but if they want to be power houses , they must take a deeper look at the language before entering the market.

Note - This article is written by Donovan White, Digital Strategist  at Native VML. 

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