International dog day is celebrated on Wednesday 26 August. That’s why, in order to properly celebrate the day along with our fluffy friends, we’ve listed the best dogs account to follow on Instagram.

Number one on the list has to be Boobie Billie. With more than 250,000 followers, Boobie has made a name for herself for being the most fashionable dog on Instagram. Follow for some serious style inspo and some of the cutest dog content out there. Bonus: Boobie Billie is probably the coolest influencer you’ll come across so take some notes—she won’t let you down.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9nCLEeBfDz/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCJWPI9hqep/

Doug the pug is a real celebrity on the social media platform. With 4 million followers, Doug has met the likes of Billie Eilish, Ed Sheeran, Justin Bieber, Joe Jonas, Cole Sprouse, and more! He even hung out with the cast of Stranger Things—can he get cooler than that? We doubt it, but if that’s still not enough, Doug was also the winner of a People’s Choice Award for Animal Star in 2019. Bonus: follow Doug for a banging cover of Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B’s ‘WAP’ titled ‘Weird as Pugs’.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEHhg0hpavU/

https://www.instagram.com/p/CEDKSmipe4q/

Marnie the dog has been a celebrity for years now—some of the real ones might remember Marnie from Vine. Marnie sadly passed away in March 2020 but her owner still regularly updates her Instagram account with some of the funniest pictures and captions we’ve seen. Follow for pictures of the wonkiest but cutest dog you’ll find on Instagram. Bonus: Marnie has more than a thousand posts so you won’t run out of dog content anytime soon. Oh, and Marnie also has a book!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiVRg2vHKjD/

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It's dat time of year again! (I mean xmas)

A post shared by Marnie The Dog /sister phyllis (@marniethedog) on Dec 19, 2016 at 11:05am PST

Tuna, aka Tunameltsmyheart on Instagram, has one of those unusual beauties, let’s say. With 2.1 million followers, Tuna has convinced his followers that a dog who shows teeth can still be lovely. Tuna’s overbite is a birth defect, but don’t let him fool you, he is a lovely, well-mannered chap. Bonus: Tuna loves dressing up!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_8QMeFBkbQ/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-iDU3JhtYK/

Maya the Samoyed is the answer to all your fluffiest dreams. With 1.9 million followers, this white Samoyed dog is the one to follow if you’re looking for dog meme content and need to learn doggo language. Bonus: Maya’s owner is a pro at filming mini-episodes of Maya’s life and we love it!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CCYdA1qhpge/

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_7Y5kLJxb8/

How often did the eggplant emoji make you absolutely cringe when swiping through Tinder? A recent study conducted by researchers at the Kinsey Institute found that a frequent use of emojis is directly linked to having sex more frequently. Yes, you read that correctly—your sex life now depends on emojis.

And it is not just your sex life; in fact, emojis have been proven to be effective signals for relationship-oriented digital communication, leading to a more successful dating life. The researchers have conducted two separate surveys. In the first, they found that 28 percent of Americans use emojis regularly, 3 percent use one in every text, 2.5 percent use more than one in every text, and all participants found that using emojis provided them with a better outlet for self expression than text-based messages.

The second survey found that 97 percent of its partakers use emojis when speaking to potential love interests and showed that emoji use is related to maintaining connections with a first date, meaning that people would be more likely to engage in intimate behaviours as time progresses. Both surveys were then connected to information such as how often do these people have sex, go on a second date, and kiss their partner, and it appeared that those who participated in these activities the most also happened to send the most emojis.

This probably shouldn’t come as a surprise—emojis, in a way, are a 21st century art form in itself. There is even an animated film dedicated to them titled, perhaps unsurprisingly, The Emoji Movie, and a few years ago a university in Ireland shared potential plans of creating an emoji as a foreign language course. Somehow, emoticons have gained immense pop-cultural value, and it was only a matter of time until they caught up with the way we communicate among each other.

There are limitations to the study, however, as there is no evidence of what type of emojis are used most frequently and which emojis link to what outcome. It is also important to note that the survey focused on the sending out of emojis rather than receiving, therefore there is no proof of how the latter reacts. While we question the likelihood of each emoji’s ability to turn us on, it is important to take the entire research with a grain of salt. But what does this say about our use and understanding of emojis?

It is no secret that when conversing via text certain elements of human communication get lost. Verbal communication and its meaning are greatly affected by the person’s voice, tone, and intonation, which simply can not be present in a text. Emojis can add that tone of voice into the conversation, allowing for a much more expressive and friendly flow, and essentially ease out the conversation.

Dating in today’s world is, without a doubt, stressful. Dating apps and websites have made dating a lot more accessible, as we now have the ability to plan our next hook-up with the tips of our fingers. However, the link between romance and technology has also created a handful of its own issues, such as the inability to find meaningful love or presenting us with too much choice, which results in confusion as well as anxieties over not appearing too desperate. Emojis are able to add a certain tone of casualty and laid-backness to the conversation.

The previous idea could then be traced back to the survey and success of emojis in conversing among potential romantic partners. Emojis can sometimes make the conversation more relaxed and less serious, which could lead to a follow-up date. Of course, the fact that we need emojis to communicate better is slightly concerning, but, then again, we are shifting towards a digital future, and it is only natural that each and every element of our lives will become impacted by this, for better or for worse.

Considering the countless debates around how technology and mass digitalisation have changed dating as we know it, making it even more difficult to connect romantically and intimately, the argument that emojis are now improving our sex lives certainly comes as a paradox. But hey, it seems to work. So go on and up your emoji game.