If you look at Apple’s emoji keyboard, what do you see? Two different camels. A smiling turd. EVERY PHASE OF THE MOON. There are currently over 800 emoji, but only two represent people of color (Source: dosomething.org).
In a reaction to long-standing criticism, diversification is finally going to hit Apples product line. The new beta versions of iOS 8.3 and OSX 10.10.3 (available to software developers) will be adding 300 new emojis. The option for using the diversified emojis can be selected by clicking/tapping and holding on any character. A pop-up will then present the diversified range to choose from. In my opinion, the two most important updates are:
- the option to choose from emojis of six different skin colors (inlcuding symbolic characters like *thumbs up* or *clapping hands*)
- more family icons, including same-sex couples and families.