This week saw the introduction of yet another iOS from Apple, and with it 184 new emoji. For those not familiar with the term, emoji are essentially the new alphabet of the digital age. Instead of typing out full sentences, you can sum up your message by using icons such as :) 👀💀💸. Which obviously means…something?
Anyways, with this new release come exciting new, and long-requested emoji such as the taco, Vulcan Salute, and unfortunately, the middle finger (also known by its more technical name of “Reversed Hand With Middle Finger Extended”). Which leads me to my point/question.
Why does the world need the middle finger emoji?
The great thing about emoji is that they’re fun. They make expressing a simple thought just a little less mundane. In a world of impersonal text messaging they’re fun and add a little amount of personality to your message. Or at least it use to be.
With the addition of a hand gesture that has no positive meaning, the fun has officially been removed from emoji. We all know that there are plenty of angry people out there who will gladly use the middle finger emoji. Why exactly did we need to make it easier for them?
At least before they had to go through the effort of typing out f*** you (or “f u”). Or if they were really committed to a visual representation of their sentiments they had to take a picture of their own hand, crop, filter, and then send it. The time it took them to complete this process was invaluable, as it allowed them to think over whether or not they really wanted to hit send. Was the person they were sending this hate to really worth the time and effort it took to construct their message?
Thankfully, the good emoji added greatly outnumber this one hand signal. So, here’s hoping the unicorns, nerds, and shamrocks outweigh the bad.
More on the Story: Mashable
…just for fun:
