Why the Crying Emoji Beat the Laughing One, and What That Means for Advertisers

The Emoji That Ate the Internet

In 2025, the loudly crying emoji — 😭 — officially became the most used emoji on the planet, according to Google data reported by the New York Times. It beat out 😂 and 🤣, the laughing-crying faces that dominated the last decade. If you're over 30, you might still be sending 😂 to every funny meme. If you're under 25, you're probably rolling your eyes at that.

The shift is generational. Linguists have noticed that Gen Z and Gen Alpha (roughly ages 15 to 30) think the classic laughing-cry emoji is overused, even cringe. So they've moved on. They use 🔥 instead of 💯, 🙏 instead of 👍. And they've adopted weird, niche emoji like 🥀 (wilted flower) for a moody, melancholic vibe, or 🗿 (the Moai statue) to express stone-faced indifference. Some even use 🫰, borrowed from K-pop culture, or the newer 🫩 (the one with bags under its eyes) to say, “I'm exhausted.”

For advertisers, this is more than a fun trivia fact. Emoji choices are a window into how different generations communicate, what they find funny, what they find annoying, and how quickly they abandon a symbol once it becomes mainstream. The same dynamics that kill an emoji's cool factor also affect brand language, influencer partnerships, and even the visual identity of a product.

Emoji as a Status Signal

Linguist Gretchen McCulloch has written about how emoji function as digital body language. In a text-only chat, a single emoji can change the tone of a sentence from sarcastic to sincere, from angry to playful. But emoji also serve as in-group markers. When a certain emoji becomes too common — say, your mom starts using 😂 — young people quickly drop it and find something obscure. It's a constant game of linguistic one-upmanship.

This has a direct parallel in advertising. Brands are always chasing the next big thing, whether it's a meme, a slang term, or a new social platform. But the moment a brand adopts a trend, it often signals that the trend is over. The cool kids move on. The same thing happens with emoji. A brand that uses 😂 in a tweet might as well be wearing a “Hello, fellow kids” hat.

So what should a marketer do? The answer isn't to jump on 😭 or 🥀 immediately. The answer is to understand the underlying psychology: young consumers value authenticity, novelty, and a sense that they're in on something before the mainstream. They don't want to see a corporate logo next to the exact same emoji they use with their friends. It feels like an invasion.

uBlock Origin Quits Facebook Ads — a Sign of the Times

In other news, uBlock Origin, the popular open-source ad blocker, announced it will stop maintaining its Facebook ad-blocking rules. The team said Facebook constantly changes its underlying code to evade ad blockers, making it impossible for volunteer maintainers to keep up. Facebook goes so far as to split the word “Sponsored” into individual letters, scatter them across multiple lines of code, and randomly shuffle them to break pattern-matching algorithms. The uBO team called it “extremely anti-user.”

This is a reminder that the ad-blocking arms race is real. Facebook spends millions on engineering to ensure ads get through, while open-source volunteers spend their free time trying to stop them. It's an uneven fight. But it also speaks to a broader trend: users are increasingly hostile to intrusive advertising. The rise of ad blockers, subscription models, and even ad-free tiers on platforms like Netflix and YouTube shows that consumers are willing to pay to avoid ads.

For advertisers, the takeaway is clear: intrusive, interruptive ads are becoming less effective and more resented. The future lies in native, contextual, and value-driven advertising that doesn't feel like an interruption. The Facebook ad-blocking battle is a symptom of a deeper distrust, and brands that ignore it do so at their peril.

Apple's Ad Ambitions — and the Backlash

Speaking of ads, Apple Maps is about to get ads in the U.S. and Canada. Starting August 14, businesses can pay to appear in search results and as suggested places. Apple is even offering a promotional discount: book by October 2026 and get 15% off your monthly bill for a year, up to $1,000 back per month.

Some users are upset. One commenter said, “Map and search ads — Apple is becoming Android.” Another joked that they hope the Chinese version never sees ads. But Apple is clearly following the trend of expanding its services revenue. The company has been slowly building its ad business, from App Store search ads to Apple News and Stocks. Maps ads are a logical next step.

For advertisers, this is an exciting opportunity. Apple Maps has a large, high-intent user base. Someone searching for “coffee near me” is ready to buy. But there's a risk: if ads feel too intrusive, they could alienate users and hurt Apple's brand. The key will be relevance and user experience. Apple has a reputation for privacy and clean design. If ads are irrelevant or annoying, it could backfire.

The U.S. vs. China AI Race — and the Global Supply Chain

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department is drafting a letter to 35 partners, warning them to pick a side in the AI race. The letter says that countries joining China's “World AI Cooperation Organization” will be excluded from the U.S.-led Pax Silica initiative. Kazakhstan, which has joined both, is a particular concern because it supplies critical minerals.

This is a geopolitical tug-of-war with major implications for tech and advertising. AI models are increasingly used for ad targeting, content personalization, and creative generation. If the world splits into two tech blocs, the advertising industry will have to navigate different rules, data flows, and platform ecosystems. A global brand might have to use different AI tools in China versus the West, complicating campaign management.

It also affects the supply chain for chips, which are essential for data centers running AI algorithms. The U.S. is pressuring Apple to avoid Chinese memory chips, even as Apple tests them for cost reasons. This could lead to higher prices for consumers and tighter margins for advertisers, as the cost of digital infrastructure rises.

What This Means for Advertisers

So, what's the big picture? First, cultural signals like emoji use are more than just fun — they're early indicators of how consumer behavior and attitudes are shifting. Pay attention to what young people are using, not to copy them, but to understand what they value.

Second, ad-blocking is not a niche hobby. It's a widespread movement. Don't double down on intrusive formats. Instead, focus on creating ads that people might actually want to see — or at least don't hate.

Third, platform changes, like Apple Maps ads, create new opportunities, but they also test user tolerance. Be smart about where and how you advertise.

Finally, the geopolitical landscape is reshaping the tech industry. If you're a global advertiser, you need to be prepared for a fragmented digital ecosystem. What works in one country may not work in another, both technically and culturally.

In a world where attention is the scarcest resource, the best advertisers are those who respect their audience. That means using the right emoji, the right tone, and the right platform — and knowing when to step back before the hype cycle turns against you.