SMALL THINGS can lead to bigger and better things. Get enough small things going at the same time and suddenly you have momentum. Momentum can build and then you have a movement, Before you know it, that movement leads to progress.
Take emoji for example. You know what those are, right? They are further up the evolutionary scale from emoticons ;-) and happy faces, the yellow circle with two dots for eyes and a smile resembling a face.
In our text-happy-emailing-and-messaging-that-passes-off-as-communication world, they are symbols that add nuance to those electronic smoke-signals that can often result in misunderstandings or misinterpretations.
It's difficult to convey sarcasm or irony in your typical message, but add a smiley-face or ;-) and you are telling the recipient, don't take this too seriously, "I'm joking." Leave the emoji out, and you could lose a friend.
Apple, the maker of iPhones, iPads, etc., has introduced emoji-of-color to their lists. Why does this matter? Small steps, people. The video explains it all ... kinda. But you get the gist. At least we're no longer limited to choosing between extremely light beige (white) or extremely dark brown (black) anymore.
Apple recognizes that the world is more complex than black and white.
For those of us who are not of African American or European heritage, which is most of the word, there's finally a choice of beige and browns to choose from. For me, I chose the third from the right.
Unfortunately, in some quarters of the Asian community, the bright yellow of the reputedly east Asian emoji is a sickly color. Jaundice? I can see what they mean. Unless you're a resident of Legoland, who's skin is actually that color?
Right now, only those with an iPhone with the latest update can access these emoji-of-color. Apple suggests that those who own smart phones of other brands to start asking for a similar array of emoji to choose from.
Actually, taking a second look at my chosen emoji, the hair should be black (if I had hair) but that's close enough for now. I would prefer a wider range to choose from. I trust some enterprising coder will come up with something else soon.
Who would have thought that emoji's could make a political point or a statement about one's own identity? The choice matters. It helps. Small steps ... small steps.
