UNITED STATES

Did you know that 74% of Americans report using emoji every single day? What states are using what emoji? Sure, Alaskans are fishers and Washingtonians love music . . . but what is Vermonters’ fascination with smiling poo? (Tech Crunch)

Use our U.S. MapMaker Kit to label and navigate the United States of emoji!

Educators, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit.

Discussion Ideas

• What are emoji?
  • Emoji are a type of ideogram. Ideograms are graphic symbols that represent an idea. Emoji is a Japanese word that literally means “picture character.” Emoji were invented in the late 1990s in Japan, where developers hoped the new language would facilitate communication on mobile devices. (They were right.)

• Whenever you read a new analysis, poll, or report, it’s always a good idea to know who put it together. What organization researched the “United States of Emoji”? How did they collect their data? Access the interactive map here, and read through the fun, full report here.
  • SwiftKey is a software company focusing on language used on mobile devices. It uses artificial intelligence to predict the next word a user will type.
  • SwiftKey gathered its data by analyzing the geography and use of more than a billion emoji on devices using SwiftKey services.

• Why do you think New Yorkers use this emoji more than any other state? 🗽
  • That’s the Statue of Liberty, symbol of the Empire State.

• Why do you think Hawaiians use this emoji more often than any other state? 🏄
  • Surfing is a vital and vibrant part of Hawaiian culture. Learn more about “Surfing Hawaiian Culture”—and enjoy some gorgeous Nat Geo graphics and photos—here.

•  Why do you think Arizonans use this emoji more often than any other state? 🌵
  • That’s the saguaro cactus, whose blossoms are the state flower of Arizona. Nat Geo’s 2012 BioBlitz was held in Saguaro National Park, where citizen scientists got an up-close and prickly view of these desert plants.

• Why do you think Alaskans use this emoji more than any other state? 🍁
  • Alaska is the state with the longest border with Canada, a country with a big beautiful maple leaf on their national flag.

• Why do you think Arkansans use this emoji more often than any other state? 🐗
  • You might want to ask Big Red or Tusk, the costumed and live mascots of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks.

• Why do you think Oklahomans use this emoji more than any other state? 😅
• Why do you think Wisconsinites use this emoji more than any other state? 🍞
• Why do you think Virginians use this emoji more than any other state?🐸
  • . . . Let us know in the comments.  😃

TEACHERS’ TOOLKIT

Tech Crunch: SwiftKey Quantifies Emoji Use

Nat Geo: United States MapMaker Kit

SwiftKey: United States of Emoji interactive map

SwiftKey: United States of Emoji Data Summary