Emojis may be everywhere in digital communications, but next to stickers, they’re starting to look dull and dated. Brands and celebrities, including Kim Kardashian West, are cashing in on the craze with their own sticker apps, simultaneously embedding themselves in people’s mobile lives.

Emojis have become ubiquitous in digital communications, but their use in marketing campaigns hasn’t always been successful. Canvas8 spoke to Dr. Sara Kim, an associate professor at the University of Hong Kong, to learn how people interpret and react to brands that use these symbols.

With seemingly little effort in a smiley or thumbs up sign, emojis might have once been dismissed as the lowest form of communication. But as more human interaction goes digital and eliminates nonverbal cues, they're becoming a powerful vessel for people’s feelings and personalities.

In 2015, 17% of American weddings were interracial – up from 3% in 1967. While Gen Z is set to be the most diverse generation yet, their language of choice – emoji – doesn't reflect this. Tinder is calling for greater representation, with the inclusion of interracial couple emoji.