The History of the Emoji
Emotion can be difficult to read over a screen. Texts might connect us, but without a face-to-face interaction, it can oftentimes be a struggle to understand the texter’s true meaning. Since their creation in the 1990’s, emojis have revolutionized the way that we communicate. Now, rather than simply reading letters, emojis can be littered through a paragraph. They can even replace words completely. Instead I love you, one could send ❤️. Through system updates, Unicode has worked towards diversifying their content. They have released a series of skin-tones, national flags, religions, and sexuality. Today, 92% of internet users also use emojis and on Instagram, about half of their posts contain these emojis. They’re everywhere we turn, and they influence us and our thinking more than we might think. No matter who you are or what the purpose is, emojis can help add emotion to your conversation and broaden your understanding of the world around you.
The Backstory of the Emoji
The First emojis from 1881’s Puck Magazine.
The first emoji was seen in an issue of Puck Magazine in 1881. Rather than simply sending a message, emoticons such as :-), :-( and ¯_(ツ)_/¯, were cultivated. These emoticons added meaning in order to add an emotional value to the text. Rather than assuming the meaning of a message, people could now quickly identify the difference between a joke and a serious comment. Over the past hundred years, these emoticons have evolved into the emoji. This name was chosen through the combination of the Japanese words, “e”- meaning picture and “moji”- meaning character.
During the mid-2000s, emojis were available in Japan through a separate application. These emojis could be copied and pasted into a message, and then sent. Finally, in 2011, Apple created the emoji keyboard for iOS. In this new update, iPhone users could switch to the Emoji keyboard as someone would switch to a keyboard in a different language. Apple knew that this change to the keyboard would be revolutionary, and it really was. Emojis were already widely popular by 2015. 😂 even became Oxford Dictionaries’ “Word” of the Year. Two years later, Android created their own emoji keyboard. Since their creation, Apple and Android are constantly working towards making changes and creating new emojis for their keyboards.
These updates occur every year, and with each change, thousands of items are digitized. The organization that creates these emojis, The Unicode Consortium, requires a much longer process to approve and implement emojis than one might think. They hold meetings twice a week in which they are constantly reviewing their emoticons. The draft to the iPhone process can take as long as two years. Each new emoji must be reviewed and it must be determined that, not only are “beans” an important addition to the emoji dictionary, but it is important that these specific beans are used.
Emoji Diversity
Creating these emojis is a huge responsibility. According to Wired, “Diversity within the emoji lexicon isn’t just about finding a little icon that looks like you. The presence or absence of emoji contributes to cultural visibility and erasure” (Wired). For example, with the 2014 emoji update, many people noticed that there was a Israel flag and not a Palestine one. There were hamburgers, but no Asian food. This exclusion creates a bias, even subconsciously, within people’s minds and promotes erasure. It is up to UniCode to create a diverse language of pictures that can represent anyone. Therefore, Unicode took big steps towards diversifying their content. In 2015, a new update allowed for different skin colors for people's emojis. Since Unicode took the steps to diversify their content, they have been continuing to do this ever since. They include people of all different cultures and hobbies. There are gender-neutral emoticons and emojis that represent people with disabilities. Instead of fading into the background, Unicode took bold steps towards creating a more accepting word just through a character keyboard. Many people have been angered by the new diversity that Emoji is promoting. The Indonesia government is pushing for gay-related emojis to be removed from their keyboard. Within this debate, there is more at stake than a simple emoji being deleted. This emoji symbolizes the slow shift towards tolerance that this world is experiencing, and emojis are being the thing brave enough to start it. Unicode will continue diversifying their content and accepting anyone through their emoji.
The Future of Emojis
The future of emoji is looking bright. Unicode will continue to create the emojis that represent the people using their products. In 2018, they created emojis that have gray and red hair. They also have created emojis that spread awareness In the future, they will continue to do this and find more ways to promote inclusion directly on the Apple iPhone. Google’s, Jennifer Daniel is curious about what is in store for emojis. She writes, “I wonder if the catch-all power of emoji is diminishing because there are too many emoji and yet, there can never be enough. Are we creating zones of exclusion without consciously trying?” (It’s Nice That) There are currently more than 3,000 available emojis, and is very possible that this number will continue to grow.
Will UniCode be able to fully diversify their content before they create an overwhelming amount of characters?
References
Apple celebrates WORLD Emoji Day. (2021, March 12). Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2018/07/apple-celebrates-world-emoji-day/
Apple proposes new emojis DEPICTING disabled people. (2018, March 24). Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://betanews.com/2018/03/24/apple-disabled-emojis/
Elsewhere..., N. (2016, February 11). Indonesia wants gay-themed Emojis removed. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-35551109
Getemoji. (2015, April 10). 🇬🇷🇬🇾🇦🇷🇩🇴💨 speed up your iPhone Flags! Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://blog.getemoji.com/post/116028067620/speed-up-your-iphone-flags
Kuruvilla, C. (2016, February 04). The surprisingly spiritual meanings behind some of the emojis on your phone. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://www.huffpost.com/entry/emoji-meanings-religious_n_56b23c0ce4b04f9b57d81177
Nowak, C. (2019, May 15). Why do we use emojis anyway? A fascinating history of emoticons. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://www.rd.com/article/history-of-emoji/
Pardes, A. (n.d.). The complete history of emoji. Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://www.wired.com/story/guide-emoji/
The past, present and future of the emoji, according to Google's Jennifer Daniel. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://www.itsnicethat.com/features/jennifer-daniel-whats-next-for-emojis-preview-of-the-year-2020-illustration-060120
Pin on Apple. (n.d.). Retrieved March 27, 2021, from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/548805904567799726/
