Top emojis among Malaysians: Are brands getting them right?

The use of emojis are a way of life in this digital age and Malaysians too have their favourite emojis. With the country entering the endemic phase this year, football remains the most popular activity emoji on Facebook and Instagram, followed by swimming and basketball. Additionally, the top five most popular sports emojis on Instagram bios for those living in Malaysia are football, basketball, badminton, yoga, and swimming.

The use of various emojis also differ among generations. Gen Z, for example, often use the green checkmark, red heart, and a crying laughing smiley that's tilted. Meanwhile, the top three emojis among Millennials are heart eyes, a red heart, and the crying laughing smiley. Gen X and Boomers, on the other hand, prefer prayer hands, a red heart, and a cake.

Meta released 112 new emojis last year, including a palm down hands, bubbles, and x-ray. Among all the choices available, the most popular new emojis on Facebook among Malaysians are:

Earlier this year, WhatsApp introduced six emoji reactions to messages and it recently expanded the range to all emojis available in time for World Emoji Day. For those who might be nervous about what certain emojis might mean, fret not because we've got you covered.

1. Loudly crying and vomiting emojis: These may look negative at first glance but these melodramatic emojis can be used to express extreme positive reactions. The loudly crying emoji represents overwhelming joy or hilarity while vomiting represents being overwhelmed by excitement, shock, or awe.

2. Pleading face: This can be used in several ways, for example, indicating "puppy dog" eyes, as if begging or pleading. It may also represent adoration or feeling touched by a loving gesture or message - reacting as an expression of thanks.

3. Eyes: This emoji is sometimes used to indicate some hidden meaning behind a message/content posted online; or "shifty eyes" to convey suspicion or surprise.

4. Sparkles: While this emoji screams positivity and many use it to show support, love, and happiness, it’s also used by others when showing sarcasm and irony or even when exaggerating a word, message, or emotion.

5. Blue cap: The phrase "cap" or "capping", and the accompanying emoji is often used when someone is lying or being untruthful. If someone reacts to a message with this expression, it likely means they don’t believe it.

Have you been using any of these right?

Photo courtesy: Shutterstock

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