Social media has played a critical role in the 2016 presidential election. Supporters and detractors of candidates constantly tweet/post their reactions to what candidates do and say, thus influencing public discussion.
Oftentimes these social media postings are accompanied by an emoji — colorful smiley faces and ideograms used to represent the poster's feelings. The use of emojis to express their feelings on social media reached such an extent that the Oxford Dictionaries 2015 Word of the Year was none other than 😂.
So the folks at The Atlantic have decided that the best way to measure social media reactions to candidates is through what emoji people use the most when discussing them.
Some candidates are represented by something that fits right into their campaign. As of Friday afternoon, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, was represented by 🔥 for his “Feel the Bern!” campaign.
As of press time, Donald Trump was represented most by 💯.
Others are likely less-pleased with their emoji representation. Jeb Bush is represented by a downward trending graph 📉 , likely a reference to his stagnant poll numbers. And then there was Ben Carson’s emoji late Friday afternoon: 😭.
To see all the candidates’ campaigns in emoji form in real time, head over to The Atlantic.
Freeman Stevenson is a staff writer for DeseretNews.com.