The emoji puzzle: how to fit everyone in, with Emojipedia’s Keith Broni - Episode 4

Made For Us

09-11-2023 • 26 mins

As emoji usage has gone global over the past decade, demand for more inclusive emoji has soared. But how effectively can emoji capture human diversity? And what challenges does this pose from a design perspective? I’ll be exploring these questions and more in a two-part special on emoji. First up is Keith Broni, the editor-in-chief of Emojipedia, the world's #1 emoji resource. Keith oversees changes to emoji sets from major vendors like Apple and Google, as well as interpreting emoji usage and trends. He received an MSc in Business Psychology from University College London, where he did his dissertation on emoji use in social media communication.

In this episode we discuss:

  • How emoji originated and what's behind their universal appeal
  • What sparked the move towards more inclusive emoji
  • How gender representation has evolved over the years
  • Whether there’s a limit to the number of emoji we can have

If you liked this episode, check out my conversation with Rayouf Alhumedhi, the founder of the Hijab Emoji Project.

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