Which emojis should you use on social networks when sharing health-related content? – Best practices and tips

Emoji, smiley or emoticon: these little symbols are now a must when we exchange text messages on WhatsApp or via social networks. But where do they really come from? And should I use them in my practice’s communications? Do they have a place in the world of healthcare? Here are some best practices.

😄 Once upon a time, there was an emoji

The origin of these little digital faces can be traced back to Japan 🇯🇵. The (simplified) origin of the name “Emoji” comes from the following sounds in Japanese: E (image), Mo (writing) and Ji (character). The first emoji was created by Shigetaka Kurita in 1999 on a 12×12 pixel field – an extremely small area by today’s standards, which also explains the “angular” appearance of first-generation emojis. 👾

🌎 The emojis: a universal language

Since their introduction in the late 1990s, emoji have undergone rapid development. Today, its use is so universal and widespread that there are various studies on the use of emojis and their influence on communication and culture. In 2019, for example, it was studied that the “crying and laughing” emoji (😂) is the one most popular. Emojis are so popular that they even replace words… literally! In 2015, the Oxford Dictionaries institution named the “crying and laughing” emoji “word of the year”.

While more or less everywhere in the world, people communicate using emojis, there are interesting regional differences: indeed, analyses by the social network X (ex Twitter) show that the English-speaking world uses emojis the most. In any case they are useful to communicate across languages.

What about healthcare emojis 🏥👨‍⚕️👩‍⚕️❓

Slowly but surely, emoji are finding their way into the business world. Today, it’s no longer taboo to use them in the office, even in the healthcare world! Experiments show that emojis can simplify communication. One example of that is through visualizations, for example, in health promotion, such as hand hygiene. Other studies have examined the communication potential of emojis, focusing on various situations – such as communication with children or foreign-language speakers. They show that emojis can be a good tool for bridging communication gaps.

But what about you as a healthcare professional? Should you use it? There are no definitive rules when it comes to using emojis. They can be used to add a personal “touch” – or to grab a reader’s attention. Like hashtags, you can use them on your social media if you’re a dentist or use them to create engaging content as a therapist. But they should always be adapted to the tone of the conversation/communication – so a few targeted emojis are appropriate in a LinkedIn post, whereas they’re rather out of place in a professional email exchange. It’s also worth doing a little research on emoji usage; some have different meanings depending on context, which could lead to misunderstandings.