The idea of emojis becoming their own language in the modern sphere might seem ridiculous to some, but evidence shows that it may be inevitable. This is becoming especially interesting when one takes the legal consequences of this into consideration. According to The Verge, references to emojis and emoticons in US court cases has increased dramatically in the past fifteen years, with the largest increase being in 2018. While their use in the court system has been majorly as minor supportive evidence, that may change as use increases.
One thing that I found really interesting is the fact that these images are being used as a form of modern language, but courts struggle with ways to decipher them and to prove intent through them. When we type something out into concrete words, it is clear what we are meaning to say. Emojis are instead seen as having different interpretations based on what social context or situation they are being used in. So instead of using an interpreter as one would for any other language, the courts are calling in experts in whatever field the case focuses on and using them to come up with the best interpretation. These experts have been especially influential in cases of sex trafficking and child exploitation.
While the use of emojis may seem inconsequential now, as they become more and more popular we may find ourselves in a greater need for clarity in meaning. This idea reminded me of the ways in which abbreviations have also become more mainstream as they became popular in texting and online use. Will we ever be able to find a way to assign concrete meaning to these images, which we often attach at the end of texts with little thought as to what we really mean?
This question can be partially answered by the dramatic increase in emojis that the public has access to, thus increasing their ability to craft their messages with images that clarify and compliment their true meaning. For 2019 alone, the Unicode Consortium has released 230 new emojis which are now being picked up by well known companies such as Apple and Microsoft. Many of these new emojis are also making text language more diverse and inclusive, with images depicting disabled individuals and accessibility equipment such as canes and wheelchairs. Users will now also have the choice of three different genders and five different skin tones for their emojis. Will this increase in emojis lead to a larger amount of clarity, as individuals are able to use more specific “language”, or will the vast choices just muddle the issue further?