Coronavirus has given us a whole new vocabulary, from "flattening the curve" to "social distancing" to "community spread." So it makes sense that a new set of emojis have become popular to help communicate our COVID-infected feelings during these strange times.
Ad agency Horizon Media has analyzed emoji usage in 28 million tweets in the U.S. written during the pandemic and segmented them by gender and geography to find emerging patterns.
Overall, the agency noted a shift away from normal chit chat to a more dour mix of expressing fear, gratitude and confusion. There were also, of course, occasional touches of levity.
Out of the top 100 emojis, the "Medical Mask," "Microbe," and "Angry Face With Symbols" emerged as new favorites among tweeters.
Some of the emojis with the biggest increase in usage include, according to Horizon:
- 🥺 “Pleading” (+93%) and 😞 Sad (+53%), used primarily by people lamenting over the sad news and what they’ve lost with COVID-19 (sports, foods, etc).
- 🙏 “Prayer Hands” (+50%), to express love, gratitude, and support in a time of crisis.
- 🥴 “Woozy” (+33%), a drunk face symbolizing alcohol consumption as a coping mechanism.
- 😳 “Flushed “(+30%): Severity of COVID-19 and government actions are a wake-up call; confusion over how to adjust to our new life, embarrassment over people’s handling of the situation.
Here are some emojis that have decreased in usage since the pandemic hit the U.S.:
- 👀 “Side Eyes” (-50%)
- 🔥 “Fire” (-49%)
- 🇺🇸 American Flag (-40%)
- 😎 Happy Sunglasses (-21%)
- 😃 Open-Mouthed Smile (-20%)
