eye in speech bubble
Unicode: 1F441 200D 1F5E8 FE0F
Description
An eye emoji with a speech bubble coming out of it, resembling a speech balloon or thought bubble, containing a black silhouette which looks like a spy or detective peeking from behind.
Group:
Smileys & Emotion > emotion
Status:
unqualified
Emotion:
Typically represents surveillance, eavesdropping, spying, or being watched. It conveys a sense of observation, curiosity, or suspicion.
Backstory
This emoji was first created by combining two existing emojis: the 'Eye' emoji (U+1F441) and the 'Left Speech Bubble' emoji (U+1F5E8). The 'Eye in Speech Bubble' (U+1F441 U+FE0F U+200D U+1F5E8 U+FE0F) was approved as part of Unicode 9.0 in 2016, and subsequently added to Emoji 3.0. Its design is based on the logo for the anti-bullying organization Ad Council's 'I Am A Witness' campaign, signifying monitoring and reporting of online bullying and hate speech. The FE0F is a variation selector that ensures the emoji is displayed as a colored emoji character.
Usage Examples
- When someone posts something suspicious: 'Hmm, I'm watching you 👀💬'
- Indicating that you're observing a situation: 'Let's see how this plays out' 👀💬
- Humorously implying surveillance: 'The boss is always watching...' 👀💬
- Referring to online community moderation: 'Admins are observing the chat' 👀💬
Cultural Differences
Western culture:
Commonly used to denote someone is 'watching' or 'keeping an eye on' something/someone, often in a humorous or suspicious context. Can imply 'I'm watching you' or 'I see what you're doing.'
East Asian culture:
Similar usage, often in the context of online content moderation, community guidelines, or indicating that 'someone is always watching' for misbehavior.