> 72% of 18- to 25-year-olds find it easier to express their feelings in emoji pictures than through the written word, according to a survey for Talk Talk mobil

> 72% of 18- to 25-year-olds find it easier to express their feelings in emoji pictures than through the written word, according to a survey for Talk Talk mobile. This says it all. Emojis are good for communicating feelings/emotions succinctly and narrowly, and in pretty run-of-the-mill conversation. I.e. they're used to quickly get something across like 'that makes me happy' or 'I'm angry about that' without having to write the words each time, which frankly would be awkward and cumbersome. I suppose the in-person analog is supplementing speech with body language and facial expression. I'm fairly sure UX studies have shown for example that ratings systems are better used when people can rate their feelings toward something via facial expressions (frown -> smile) than numbers. It's more intuitive and can serve as a supplement for extra, more detailed, written review information. From this perspective things like emojis actually augment and advance the power of a language, rather than being a 'step back'. In any case, they are absolutely not useful for, or intended for, general language/communication and I'm pretty surprised that the author seems to be implying this, or that anyone could think this.