It’s unclear exactly when the emoji started being used as a meme, but it first appeared on social media with a 2023 tweet from @pastor.flacc. Pairing the emoji with captions such as “when the ...

In the same way emoji have been used to convey complex moods or emotions, a meme can impart a complex idea, state of mind, or shared understanding far quicker than typing out and reading a written ...

and the meme has now evolved (or devolved, depending on how you want to look at it) into people simply using a handshake emoji to connect similar ideas, albeit with a bit snarkier flex.

Emojis, the judge said, are just like words: They express ideas, depending on context. And in the context of meme stock trading, McFadden said, a moon emoji had significant meaning. “Moon emojis ...