Medialogia has presented a fresh study of Runet digital communication, naming the most popular emojis actively used by residents of Russia in the first half of the current year 2026. The absolute leaders of user sympathy are the red heart, fire flames, and the face with tears of joy. Analyst data demonstrates fascinating trends across various social media platforms, where users prefer completely different visual emotion markers depending on platform functionality.
Platform Preferences and Statistics
According to expert calculations, the classic red heart was sent by Russians in the first half of the year over 241 million times. For comparison, in the same period of 2025 this figure was 242.3 million, and in 2024 it was 197.4 million messages. This emoji firmly secured the top spot in services such as VKontakte (29.6m), Odnoklassniki (4.5m), and Instagram (34.6m). However, within the Telegram ecosystem, this symbol lost its leadership, ranking only fourth with 51.2 million sends.
The Telegram Phenomenon and Cultural Differences
The Telegram messenger once again confirmed its unique communication subculture. The first place in popularity here was won by the fire image, used in a staggering 81.7 million messages. Additionally, in the Russian-language segment of the messenger, money bags with a dollar sign (74.9m) and an index finger pointing right (53.3m) turned out to be extremely in demand. Such graphic markers practically do not find mass response on other Internet platforms, emphasizing the specifics of the messenger's audience.
Global Trends and Generational Features
Global statistics, including last year's Google data, indicate that the crying emoji is recognized as the absolute global leader, distinguished by its versatility of use. At the same time, there is a rapid increase in the popularity of specific symbols, such as the withered flower or the Easter Island Moai statue, which are actively mastered by younger generations. Differences in emoji choices can also be traced between age groups: the older generation chooses familiar digital signs like the number one hundred, while teenagers choose fire and joined palms.
