New York's Empire State Building will light up in yellow for the fourth annual world emoji day.

While, London's Royal Opera House will present 20 well-known operas and ballets in emoji form online.

Experts have said that far from destroying language, emoji are enhancing people's ability to fully express themselves and have changed the way people around the world communicate.

The most used emoji of 2016 was the crying laughing face, followed by blowing a kiss and the red heart.

And Today FM research has found that the monkey covering its face is Ireland's favourite emoji.