We are surrounded by emoji. They appear in politics movies drug deals our sex lives and
more. But emoji's impact has never been explored in full. Named for the world's 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 emoji's 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: risqué emojis controversy and accusations of "selling out". Finally readers learn
about the future of emoji as some of the language's pioneers consider what comes next. Face
with Tears of Joy is a language- and tech-lover's delight stuffed with gloriously nerdy
details illustrations and fun.
