Why π ain't High-Five
but π³οΈβοΏ½ is Pride
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 1
Why π ain't High-Five
but π³οΈβοΏ½ is Pride
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 2
Why π ain't High-Five
π€ οΏ½
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 3
π©πΎβπ³
π
π€
π΄ββ οΈ
π§
π³οΈβοΏ½
π§π½
π
Why π ain't High-Five
π€ οΏ½
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 4
π©πΎβπ³
π
π€
π΄ββ οΈ
π§
π³οΈβοΏ½
π§π½
π
Hi, I'm andytuba (he/they)
Software engineer π©βπ»
Engineering manager in Consumer Safety π§·
Slack reactji lover πβ
Unabashed proponent of emoji οΏ½in business emails βοΈ
Cephalod fan ππ¦
What are you in for?
Technical specifications
Diversity and inclusion in popular media
Skin tone and ethnicity
Stereotypically gendered activities
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 6
zwj
π©π½βπ¦±οΏ½
π»
What are you in for?
Lots of emojis
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 7
zwj
π©π½βπ¦±οΏ½
π»
What are emoji
πΌοΈ π π©βπ» π©βπ©βπ§βπ¦
Each emoji is a "glyph" or imageοΏ½
Specification defined by Unicode Consortium by ratifying proposalsοΏ½
New emojis added yearlyοΏ½(13.0 frozen in Feb 2020)οΏ½
Many OS/apps implement the specification in their own style
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 8
What's Unicode
Let's back it up a little
Early computing: οΏ½ π Latin lettersοΏ½ π’ Arabic numeralsοΏ½ π some punctuation
Later, probably in πΎ:οΏ½ π§ Let's write in several θ¨θͺ!οΏ½οΏ½Very soon after that, not in πΎ:οΏ½ π My OS encodes this scriptοΏ½ using a different standardοΏ½ than their OS!
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 9
Somebody decided β¦ something needed to be done
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 10
Unicode ConsortiumοΏ½(inc. 1991)
π Standardize and promote a standard character encoding that provides for an allocation for more than a million characters.
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 11
What's Unicode
A big list of glyphs
Unicode Standard, index of characters β¦ for every language β¦ ever
A Latin capital U+0041οΏ½ letter AοΏ½B Latin capital U+0042οΏ½ letter BοΏ½Z Latin capital U+005AοΏ½ letter ZοΏ½a Latin small U+0061οΏ½ letter A
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 12
What's Unicode
A really big list of glyphs
Unicode Standard, index of characters β¦ for every language β¦ ever
γ‘ Katakana letter U+30A1οΏ½ small aοΏ½γ° Katakana letter U+30B0οΏ½ guοΏ½γ¨ Katakana letter U+30E8οΏ½ yoοΏ½γΊ Katakana letter U+30FAοΏ½ vo
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 13
What's Unicode
A really, really big list of glyphs
Unicode Standard, index of characters β¦ for every language β¦ ever
β¬ Euro sign U+20ACοΏ½οΏ½β³ Austral sign U+20B3 οΏ½οΏ½β· Spesmilo sign U+20B7οΏ½οΏ½οΏ½
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 14
What's Unicode
Getting bigger all the time
Unicode Standard, index of characters β¦ for every language β¦ ever
β¬ Euro sign U+20ACοΏ½οΏ½β³ Austral sign U+20B3 οΏ½οΏ½β· Spesmilo sign U+20B7οΏ½οΏ½βΏ Bitcoin sign U+20BF (Unicode 10.0, ratified June 2017)
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 15
What are emoji
πΌοΈ π π©βπ» π©βπ©βπ§βπ¦
Each emoji is a "glyph" or imageοΏ½
Unicode codepoint for each emojiοΏ½οΏ½
Many OS/apps implement the specification in their own style
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 16
What are emoji
πΌοΈ π π©βπ» π©βπ©βπ§βπ¦
Each emoji is a "glyph" or imageοΏ½
Unicode codepoint for each emoji base/modifier emojisοΏ½
Many OS/apps implement the specification in their own style
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 17
How are emoji encoded
(it's "just" unicode)
A character with a codepoint
πΌοΈ Picture frame U+1F5BC
π Octopus U+1F419
π© Woman U+1F469
π§ Person with U+1F9D5οΏ½ headscarfοΏ½π Rainbow U+1F308
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 18
How are emoji depicted
Many OS/app bring their own π
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 19
Apple
Microsoft
Docomo
What do emoji represent
Art exists within context
Across the world, ππποΏ½means smile, joy, happiness
In Japan, π€ means triumphοΏ½-- but in the states,οΏ½it feels more like π₯΅
To folks in QueerJS,οΏ½π references queer pride
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 20
What do emoji represent
Art in tech
Software engineering:οΏ½ π’ == π΅οΈββοΈπΏοΈ
At Reddit engineering:οΏ½ π πββοΈ π π
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 21
may I have a π
please π
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 22
How do emojis reflect us
Skin tone*οΏ½(Fitzpatrick scale)
οΏ½* a bigger discussion
Unicode character plus modifier
π©πΎ
composed of two characters:
π© Woman U+1F469
πΎ Medium-Dark U+1F3FEοΏ½ Skin Tone
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 23
How do emojis reflect us
Skin tone*οΏ½(Fitzpatrick scale)
οΏ½* a bigger discussion
π» Light Skin Tone
πΌ Medium-Light Skin Tone
π½ Medium Skin Tone
πΎ Medium-Dark Skin Tone
πΏ Dark Skin Tone
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 24
How do emojis reflect us
Gender
οΏ½* another bigger discussion
Person π§ οΏ½Man π¨οΏ½Woman π©
Child π§οΏ½Boy π¦οΏ½Girl π§
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 25
Gendered emoji: a bigger discussion
Gender-stereotyped activities
π π΅οΈοΏ½π π€¦
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 26
Gendered emoji: a bigger discussion
Gender-stereotyped activities have more options now
π πββοΏ½π πΊοΏ½
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 27
Gendered emoji: a bigger discussion
Gender-stereotyped activities have more options now
πββοΏ½π zwj β
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 28
Wait, what's a zwj?
π£οΈzwidge
Zero-Width Joiner
Invisible character
"Take the following emoji β¦οΏ½β¦ and combine it with the previous emoji"
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 29
How do emojis reflect us
Wait, what's a zwj?π
πββ Man Getting Haircut
composed of 3 characters:
π Haircut U+1F469οΏ½ zwj U+200DοΏ½βοΈ Male Sign U+2642
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 30
How do emoji combine
What else can a zwidge do?
π©βπ» Woman Technologist
composed of 3 characters:
π© Woman U+1F469οΏ½ zwj U+200DοΏ½π» Laptop U+1F4BB
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 31
How do emoji combine
Skin tones can be used in character sequences
π©πΎβπ» Woman Technologist withοΏ½ Medium-Dark Skin Tone
π© Woman U+1F469οΏ½πΎ Skin Tone U+1F3FEοΏ½ zwj U+200DοΏ½π» Laptop U+1F4BB
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 32
Unicode updates
New in Emoji 13.0, Feb 2020
π³οΈβ Waving white flag U+1F3F3οΏ½ zwj U+200DοΏ½β§ Transgender symbol U+26A7οΏ½
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 33
Unicode updates
with graceful degradation
π³οΈββ§
π³οΈβ Waving white flag U+1F3F3οΏ½ zwj U+200DοΏ½β§ Transgender symbol U+26A7οΏ½
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 34
Unicode updates
β§ is also new in Emoji 13
π³οΈβοΏ½
π³οΈβ Waving white flag U+1F3F3οΏ½ zwj U+200DοΏ½β§ Transgender symbol U+26A7οΏ½
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 35
Twemoji 13 updates: May 2020!
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 36
β‘οΈ
But what about π?
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 37
(Person with) Folded Hands
Historically, it looked more like a person expressing reverence or pleading
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 38
Prescriptivism vs cultural context
π is prevalent in some cultures as οΏ½ "pray", "please", or "bless".
In other cultures, this is obviously only a high-five.
Who are you conversing with?οΏ½What's their cultural context?
Other emojis that vary across cultural contexts:
π π« π
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 39
Prescriptivism vs cultural context
π is prevalent in some cultures as οΏ½ "pray", "please", or "bless".
In other cultures, this is obviously only a high-five.
Who are you conversing with?οΏ½What's their cultural context?
Other emojis that vary across cultural contexts:
π π« π
Christmas cake
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 40
Prescriptivism vs cultural context
π is prevalent in some cultures as οΏ½ "pray", "please", or "bless".
In other cultures, this is obviously only a high-five.
Who are you conversing with?οΏ½What's their cultural context?
Other emojis that vary across cultural contexts:
π π« π
Dizzy
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 41
Prescriptivism vs cultural context
π is prevalent in some cultures as οΏ½ "pray", "please", or "bless".
In other cultures, this is obviously only a high-five.
Who are you conversing with?οΏ½What's their cultural context?
Other emojis that vary across cultural contexts:
π π« π
Information desk person
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 42
In the end,
π Unicode defines a spec, companies implement art
π©πΎβπ³ Emojis can render in different skin tones
π¨βπ©βπ§ Emojis can combine into new forms
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 43
In the end,
It's okay to οΏ½π high-five your friend, or to οΏ½π request a friendly favor, or toοΏ½π thank them for being your friend.
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 44
Be excellent
to each other.
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 45
π
Be empathetic
to each other's
cultural references.
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 46
π
And if it's not clear how your message will land...
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 47
π³οΈβοΏ½
β¦ ask someone who's πopen for questions.
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 48
π Thanks!
π©π½β𦱠�zwj π» οΏ½zwj ποΏ½
π¦ @andytuba π³οΈβπ @QueerJS 49
π¦ @andytuba
β‘οΈ