An emoji icon has been named word of the year by Oxford Dictionaries. In a blog post on their web site published Monday, Oxford University Press, which owns and operates the Dictionary, said the emoji, face with tears of joy, had summed up the feelings of persons over the course of 2015.
They added that it was the most used emoji of the year, according to a survey they conducted with mobile technology firm SwiftKey.
Find out why we chose ? as the #OxfordWOTY: https://t.co/LjJyxO8cvv pic.twitter.com/iiQZxQltst
— Oxford Dictionaries (@OxfordWords) November 17, 2015
Research added that 20 per cent of users in the UK had used the emoji over the course of the year.
Reaction on Twitter to the decision was mixed.
An emoji is Oxford’s word of the year. Related: I just broke up with the Oxford Dictionary. https://t.co/U0XhyMVjd3 pic.twitter.com/Yy5nltszKW
— Brad Frenette (@BradFrenette) November 16, 2015
Really interesting expansion of our concept of what a language is. || Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year 2015 is ? https://t.co/dO1nPDGRZK
— Kate Wiles (@katemond) November 16, 2015
I’m actually smh. This year’s Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year is: ?. https://t.co/2NKziLr1Xr
— Bethany N. Bella (@bethanynbella) November 16, 2015
Guys, the Oxford English Dictionary’s word of the year for 2015 isn’t a word it is literally this emoji: ? (this isn’t a joke)
— HannahJane Parkinson (@ladyhaja) November 16, 2015
The emoji went up against words including refugee and Brexit, the word used in the political debate by those advocating for the UK’s exit from the European Union.
What do you think of the decision? Have your say in the comments section below.
