Over the past few days, you may have noticed an increasing number of people posting an 8-ball emoji on Facebook.
The status, which is simply the emoji, has left many people confused, as there is no explanation, and asking why it is being shared.
In fact, the 8-ball emoji is being shared for a much more important reason – to raise awareness of prostate cancer.
Gareth Ellis-Thomas, head of digital at Prostate Cancer UK, commented in The Telegraph: “As 1 in 8 men will get prostate cancer in the UK, sharing the 8 ball emoji is a great way to raise awareness of the most common cancer in men.
“We’d like to say a huge thank you (and thumbs up emoji) to everyone who has shared it so far and helped to get people talking. The more men who are aware of prostate cancer, the better chance we have of beating it.
“If you’re worried about prostate cancer, speak to your GP or contact our Specialist Nurses by phone or live chat on our website.”
It follows a similar trend in which users of the social network posted a heart emoji (above) to raise awareness of breast cancer.
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