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Why advertisers are tracking your emojis

It’s not just your Google keywords anymore. Advertisers are developing ads to target you based on the emojis you use.

It’s not just your Google keywords or your gender and location anymore. Advertisers are developing ads to target consumers based on the emojis they use.

With Twitter’s new emoji tracking tool, advertisers can monitor how and when users post emojis, then use that data to determine people’s emotional states. Depending on those feelings, companies can deliver highly tailored ads that match users’ real-time emotions.

Deciphering smiley face or angry emojis is easy. But when advertisers see emojis that express ambiguous emotions — like an emoji with no mouth — they can use artificial intelligence to predict if the emoji is used in a positive, negative, or neutral context, and produce a corresponding ad.

For an advertiser, knowing how people feel is immensely valuable; advertisers say this emoji tracking feature will allow them to deliver more relevant ads. But consumers are concerned about privacy.

Watch this video to learn how advertisers are using this tool and how it changes ads on Twitter. And for more Vox videos, make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel.