It’s safe to say that “Emoji Dick” does not rival the original. “Call me Ishmael” comes out as a telephone emoji, a man emoji, a boat emoji, a whale emoji and, finally, the O.K. We experience heartbreak (a pattern of broken heart emoji, sobbing face emoji, wine emoji and cigarette emoji); addiction (a sequence featuring the Magic 8 Ball emoji, pill emoji and syringe emoji); death (the skull emoji appears); and, finally, the hopeful hint of an afterlife (it all ends on the prayer-hands emoji). The Original EmojiImage The original set of 176 emojis, designed for a Japanese mobile provider and acquired by the Museum of Modern Art. Last year, the Museum of Modern Art acquired the very first set of emoji characters.

Source: New York Times July 28, 2017 21:39 UTC