Just as there are many different types of people in the world, Apple has decided there should be emojis to match that diversity. And in a new beta version of its operating system, the world’s technology leader is allowing the public to see what digital diversity looks like.
Emojis, for the those who don’t know, are small icons used to express an idea or emotion in digital communications. The most famous emoji is the ubiquitous smiley face.
The new emojis are partially in response to a decision last November by the?Unicode Consortium (UC). UC sets the technical standards for computer software and had initially been opposed to adding new skin tones in emojis. When they announced the change, UC issued a statement saying:
“People all over the world want to have emoji that reflect more human diversity, especially for skin tone. The Unicode emoji characters for people and body parts are meant to be generic, yet following the precedents set by the original Japanese carrier images, they are often shown with a light skin tone instead of a more generic (inhuman) appearance, such as a yellow/orange color or a silhouette.”
Translation: Let the racially diverse emojis commence! But despite this seemingly wonderful celebration of diversity, some don’t care for the new emojis. Gizmodo wondered if the yellow emoji are merely yellow-toned or might they actually be jaundiced? But even Gizmodo conceded:
“Obviously, there are more than six combinations of hair and skin color amongst the many billions of humans on Earth. But hey, these new emoji are certainly a step in the right direction.”
Looking at these new images, I have to say I really like them. And I also think it’s about time the digital world began reflecting the world we live in. Now I think Apple should make an emoji of a balding, bespectacled middle-aged man with a goatee. In other words, me! But I will expect a large royalty for that. Hey, Apple, drop me an e-mail and let’s talk.
