The Secret Life of Emojis: Who Decides What We Type?

Every emoji on your phone had to be approved by an official committee before it could exist, a real group actually votes on them. And the same emoji can look totally different depending on whose phone you’re using. So who decides which emojis we get? Let’s explore the surprisingly official world of emojis!

1. What Exactly Are Emojis, Anyway?

At their heart, emojis are tiny digital pictures that we use to add emotion, context, or a bit of fun to our text messages, emails, and social media posts. They’re like a modern-day hieroglyphics, helping us communicate faster and more expressively. Think about it: a simple 😊 can convey a whole range of feelings, from a polite acknowledgment to genuine delight. And it’s not just faces; we have emojis for food (🍕), animals (🐶), objects (📱), and even abstract concepts like time (⏰) or weather (☀). As of 2022, there are over 3,600 emojis in existence, with hundreds added each year! This vast library of tiny images is managed by a special group that ensures they can be understood and displayed across all our devices.

2. The Big Picture: The Unicode Consortium

So, who’s in charge of all these little pictures? It’s not a single company or a committee of artists. It’s a non-profit organization called the Unicode Consortium. Now, that sounds like a mouthful, but let’s break it down.

• Unicode is a massive set of rules that computers use to show letters, numbers, and yes, emojis, consistently. It’s like a universal language for digital text, making sure that when you type "hello" on your phone, your friend sees "hello" on their computer, no matter what kind of device they’re using.
• A Consortium is simply a group of companies and experts who decide to work together on a common goal.

Putting it together, the Unicode Consortium is a group made up of major tech giants like Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung. Their job is to create and maintain the Unicode Standard, which includes deciding which new emojis get added to the official list each year. They want to make sure that when you send a 🚀 to your cousin, they see the exact same rocket emoji on their phone, even if they have a different brand of smartphone than you do.

Fun Fact: Over 1,000 emojis have been added to the Unicode Standard since 2010 – that’s a lot of tiny pictures!

3. The Journey of a New Emoji: From Idea to Your Keyboard

Creating a new emoji isn’t as simple as drawing a picture and sending it in. It’s a rigorous process that can take up to two years from the initial idea to the emoji appearing on your phone! Think of it like writing a mini research paper. Here’s how it generally works:

1. The Idea Spark: Anyone can have an idea for a new emoji! It could be you, your child, a designer, or a teacher who notices a picture is missing from our digital toolkit. Maybe there’s no emoji for a specific type of food, an animal, or a feeling.
2. Writing the Proposal: The person with the idea needs to write a detailed document, usually about 10 pages long. This proposal must explain why the emoji is needed, how much people will use it, and how it’s different from any emojis that already exist. They also need to include sample drawings.
3. Initial Review: A small group of volunteers, known as the Emoji Subcommittee (ESC), reviews the proposal. They check if it’s complete and might ask for more information or evidence.
4. Proving Frequency: This is a crucial step! The proposer needs to provide data that shows people are already talking about or searching for this concept. This means using things like Google search numbers or Google Trends. Petitions or social media likes don’t count, they need real evidence that the emoji will be widely used.
5. Committee Discussion: The main group, called the Unicode Technical Committee (UTC), which includes representatives from the nine major member companies, discusses the proposal. They consider if the emoji has global appeal (meaning people in many different countries would understand and use it), if it’s truly unique, and if it’s likely to remain useful in the future.
6. The Big Vote: If the majority of the committee agrees, the emoji gets approved and is assigned a special code number.
7. Designing the Look: Once approved, companies like Apple, Google, and Samsung get to work designing their own version of the emoji. This is why the same emoji can look a little different on each phone.
8. Public Release: Finally, the new emoji is included in the next major software update for your phone or computer, and voilà, it’s ready for you to use!

Key Number: The entire process, from the first idea to the emoji showing up on your device, typically takes about two years.

3.1 What Makes a "Good" Emoji Proposal?

For an emoji proposal to even be considered, it has to meet several important requirements:

• Global Appeal: The emoji should make sense and be useful to people all over the world, not just in one specific country or culture.
• Uniqueness: It can’t just be a minor variation of an emoji that already exists. For example, if we already have a dog emoji, proposing a slightly different breed of dog probably won’t make the cut unless there’s a very strong reason.
• Frequency Evidence: As mentioned, concrete data showing that people are already talking about or searching for this concept is essential.
• Compatibility: If a popular app already uses a certain picture, a new emoji might be created to standardize it.
• No Logos or Real People: Emojis can’t be brand logos, specific buildings, or pictures of living people.

If a proposal is missing any of these key elements, it’s automatically rejected.

Try This at Home: Have your child brainstorm a new emoji they wish existed. What would it look like? Why would it be useful? Then, help them imagine what kind of evidence they would need to prove to the Unicode Consortium that their emoji should be made!

4. Who’s Behind the Scenes?

While the Unicode Consortium is made up of big companies, the actual work of reviewing proposals often falls to passionate individuals who volunteer their time. These are typically engineers, designers, and linguists from those tech companies.

Jennifer 8. Lee, a journalist, was instrumental in getting the dumpling emoji added and now works on the Emoji Subcommittee. Jennifer Daniel, another key figure, was the first woman to chair the subcommittee and champions inclusive and clear emoji designs. These individuals, along with other volunteers, carefully consider proposals, consult with experts (like a whale scientist for a 🐋 emoji!), and ensure that new emojis meet the established guidelines.

5. Why Do Emojis Look Different on My Phone vs. Yours?

This is a common question! While the Unicode Consortium decides which emojis get added and assigns them a universal code number, they don’t dictate the exact design. That’s up to each individual tech company.

So, when Apple designs the 😊 emoji, they create their own version. Then, Google designs its own 😊, and Samsung designs its own, and so on. They all aim to represent the same concept, but artistic choices, design philosophies, and even the overall look and feel of each company’s operating system influence the final artwork. This is why a simple smiley face might have slightly different eyes or a subtly different mouth shape depending on whether you’re using an iPhone, an Android phone, or a Windows computer. The underlying code is the same, but the visual interpretation can vary.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q: My child sent a new emoji, but I can’t see it on my phone. Why? A: This usually happens when a new emoji has just been released. Your phone’s operating system (like iOS or Android) needs to be updated to include the latest emoji designs. Make sure your phone is running the most recent software version.

Q: Can I propose an emoji for my pet dog? A: Generally, proposals need to show global appeal and frequency of use. While many people love their pets, a specific breed of dog might not meet the "global appeal" and "uniqueness" criteria if there are already several dog emojis available, unless there is very strong evidence of widespread demand for that particular type.

Q: Who pays for all this emoji work? A: The Unicode Consortium is a non-profit organization. The companies that are full members, like Apple and Google, pay membership fees. The volunteers who work on committees do so as part of their jobs for these companies.

Q: Are there emojis for every single thing people might want to express? A: Not yet! The process is ongoing, and new emojis are added each year. The goal is to cover a wide range of concepts, emotions, and objects that people communicate about globally.

Q: Can an emoji be taken away once it’s added? A: Once an emoji is part of the Unicode Standard, it’s generally there to stay. They are assigned a permanent code point. While it's highly unlikely an emoji would be removed, the focus is on adding new ones to expand the communication possibilities.