Scientists assert that the current collection of emojis fails to adequately represent the planet’s biodiversity. According to biologists, the modern set of emojis depicting nature shows a biased focus on certain flora and groups of fauna. Italian researchers from the Council for Nature Research and the University of Milan believe that while there is a sufficient number of vertebrate animals in the emoji list, it lacks representation of arthropods, which are the most abundant group of fauna. They argue that water bears (tardigrades), starfish, flatworms, and other overlooked creatures should be included to enrich the collection. The idea is that expanding the biological segment of emojis could encourage more people to engage in nature conservation, as reported by Cosmos. With emojis serving as a universal language for expressing emotions, it would be significantly easier to involve people in addressing some of the most pressing global issues.
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What Researchers Discovered
In a publication in the journal iScience, the Italian scientists shared their new research on this topic. They meticulously analyzed data from Emojipedia, particularly its section dedicated to living nature. This section contained a total of 214 emojis, of which 92 were dedicated to animals, 16 to plants, one to fungi, and another to microorganisms. Some representatives of flora and fauna appeared multiple times in the collection, especially pets (dogs, cats, rabbits) and farm animals (pigs, cows, sheep, chickens). In contrast, plants, fungi, and microorganisms were underrepresented. Lead researcher Mattia Falaschi and co-author Stefano Mammola believe that adding molds, mosses, and lichens would be excellent additions to the collection. They noted that while the article was under review, a new emoji of the porcini mushroom (Boletus edulis) was added to the collection. A staggering 76 percent of animal emojis depicted vertebrates, while arthropods made up only 16 percent, mollusks 4 percent, cnidarians (corals, jellyfish, and sea anemones) 2 percent, and annelids 1 percent. Flatworms and nematodes were entirely absent from the emoji lineup.
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The researchers expressed a desire for a more diverse and inclusive set of ideograms that fully reflects life on Earth. They believe that adding new species could enhance communication about biodiversity among the planet’s inhabitants, which is especially crucial during the climate crisis. “Conservation of biodiversity can only progress with broad societal support. Our call for expanding the emoji collection aims to highlight underrepresented groups that may be relevant for their conservation,” emphasized Mattia Falaschi.