Equality! Inclusion! Service dogs! …Garlic?
New emojis are coming to Apple, and they are overwhelmingly inclusive! From deaf representation to people of every color in wheelchairs, the creators of emoji, Unicode Consortium, are shifting to a more inclusive platform for Emoji.
Because Apple is separate from Unicode Consortium, we are anxiously awaiting an announcement from Apple about when we will receive the 200+ new emojis on iOS. There is no evidence that the new emojis will be introduced with the next iOS update, but it has been noted in the past that Apple typically adopts the new emojis fairly quickly.
Representation:
The emojis proposed for Unicode’s Emoji List 12.0 are heavily based on representation! Not only are disabled people more represented by emoji now than ever before, but the representation extends into interracial and homosexual couples. Instead of emoji leaving the couples as the basic yellow emoji, they will now be adding every pairing of individuals to the emoji list. Although this is just a small joy in the grand scheme of equality, the representation means that interracial and same sex couples will enjoy this simple addition.
Inclusivity:
The inclusive nature of the additional emojis is heavily based on the representation of people with disabilities. The disabled community has often been ignored in technological advances because of the extra effort that has to be made by the user to interact with technology, but that’s the beauty of technology! Disabled people are able to interact with the world and stay connected more now than ever with the advancement of disability settings, so why not include emojis for the deaf and blind? Not only will disabled people be represented with the update, but every shade of individual available for the other emojis will also be included for the disabled emojis!
Random:
Alongside the inclusivity of the newest emoji update comes also the random and fun new emojis. Not only will we be receiving service dogs (the goodest of bois) in the update, but we will also be receiving onions, garlic, waffles, and butter, oh my!
The emoji update will surely give us the inclusivity that we have been longing for, but it will also allow for a greater range of foods and seasonings to caption our glorious food posts on Instagram.