Today (July 17) is World Emoji Day — a day when we put the spotlight on the now-familiar and arguably essential Lingua Franca of modern digital communication.

LOS ANGELES - If emojis were alive, their job would not be easy: called on at all hours to show up on screen happy-faced, with heart-shaped eyes, as mini-pizzas or ... piles of poop. They form the indispensable background to our digital lives.