Face with Tears of Joy

We are surrounded by emoji. They appear in politics, movies, drug deals, our sex lives and more. But emojis impact has never been explored in full. Named for the worlds most popular pictogram, Face with Tears of Joy tells the whole story of emoji for the first time. In this rollicking tech and pop culture history, Keith Houston follows emoji from their birth in 1990s Japan, traces their Western explosion in the 2000s and considers emojis ever-expanding lexicon. Along the way, Houston explores vital developments in tech history and reveals the body of technocrats governing this 3,600-character language. He also addresses the eggplants in the room: risqu emojis, controversy and accusations of selling out. Finally, readers learn about the future of emoji as some of the languages pioneers consider what comes next. Face with Tears of Joy is a language- and tech-lovers delight, stuffed with gloriously nerdy details, illustrations and fun.