MORE Emojis???
(I am going the controversial route because, this time, it is such a pleasure to do so.)
The LA Times had an article recently promoting an increase in emojis in order to showcase the variety of plants, animals, and fungi in this world. I read the article, which included the thoughts of “experts” who were decrying the lack of variety in this cartoonish arena of communication. “We need more variety,” they said.
I don’t buy it.
First, this is from California, (known as the fruit and nut state to some). If it is new or unusual, it almost always starts there. The more unusual it is the more likely it is to remain there and go nowhere else, except Oregon. That’s not why I don’t buy it, but in many cases I would ignore it for that reason. I have several good friends who hail from that state (and who never wish to return except for the weather, one of whom proclaims when it is 50 degrees: “Who turned on winter?”).
Second, emojis are just cartoons. That is their function. They are shortcuts to emotions, feelings, and quirky things that would take too many words in a text or x. They are much like the iPhone “like” which I argue is truly meaningless. No one knows what a “like” is … I have not found a single iPhone user who can tell me its meaning without spending 4-5 minutes and they still end it all with these words, “and sometimes it doesn’t mean anything.” (“Like” is a throw away.) So, an emoji is also a “throw away.” We have too many things in our current world which are throw away items (water bottles, pop cans, AAA battery packaging, and automobile touch screens). I think we need fewer throw away items, not more. So, why do we need more cartoon characters?
Third, if you want people to learn more about plants, animals, and fungi … why aren’t you teaching that in school? That should be where kids LEARN about such things. Fifth graders know more about “trans” people than they do about this world’s natural flora and fauna. I’d rather it were different, but no educator asks my opinion (they never have even though I have more life experiences than most of them. I can even do simple math without a hand-held device). I have an idea: Why don’t they teach biology in school? They could even take a field trip … to a field. (We went to a sod farm when I was in High School. It had been a peat bog thousands of years prior. We stood in a large circle and the 150 pound teacher stood in the middle and jumped up and down. Can you guess what we learned? Hint from Carole King: “I feel the earth move under my feet…”)
Fourth, if you want these things to have significance to humans, why don’t you have a “Fungi park?” Then people could go out, see the incredible variety of fungi and the descriptive signs which tell the life story of each. “Wow! I didn’t know that fungi did so much for us!” For example, I once read that POWs learned to grow fungus on rotting potato skins to add to their meals because that increased the amount of protein in their daily diets (I don’t know how true that is).
Finally, instead of cartoons, maybe people could send pictures of ACTUAL fungi, animals, and plants in their texts and x without memes attached. Better, send them with a link to a website for each. But what is the purpose of sending a cartoon or a cartoon with a meme? Cartoons are forgettable and not very exciting, to tell the truth. The actual fungi, animals, and plants would be much more thrilling and memorable. After all, the seed and plant catalog does not show memes of the rose bushes, but pictures of actual rose bushes in full bloom. I might buy one if I see a picture, but I doubt I would if it was a cartoon caricature of one.
Leave it to California to promote a less exciting way to learn about important stuff.
Can flora and fauna be exciting? YES.
Ask anyone who has attempted to grow a garden. I made sure my children had the opportunity to turn the soil with a shovel, plant seeds, and reap the harvest. They enjoyed becoming one with nature. They enjoyed home grown green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, and green peppers. It also gave them an opportunity to share life with their grandparents whose property their garden was on. (So much better than sending a cartoon of a garden in a text.)
They also had first hand experiences with camping, horseback riding, sitting around a conflagration, roasting their own hot dogs, and the pleasure of swatting mosquitoes by the bazillions. In other words, they now now incredible memories they fondly look back on … I don’t think an emoji would have given them the same experience.
So, go ahead California … Build your emojis. I will not use them. Instead I will be outside enjoying the real world.
Copyright 2023 Donald Whelpley
[PLEASE NOTE that Don is always open to discussing the thoughts and opinions he shares here and welcomes comments as shared in the comment section. He doesn’t use other social media platforms and won’t see whatever you’d like to share with him if you post it elsewhere. ~ Sherry]
See more GUEST POSTS from Don!
Just the other day, my daughter was climbing a short mountain in Arizona and came across an insect. She sent me an emoji? Nope. A picture of the actual insect. “What is this?” was the title.
I texted, “It is a conenose (kissing bug). They bite and can infect you with parasites. But don’t worry they usually only feed at night.
See? Actual information (and a true story). Would you get that kind of response to an emoji and meme? (Funny emoji, LOL!)
I use emojis ALL the time! Easy way to communicate a quick message without discussion. In fact, I daresay I’m quite fluent in Emoji :). ?
@Owly
Yup! I know. You are highly qualified in emoji-ism.
I am not anti-emoji. There is a place for them.
I think I could live without them … wait! I did for more than the first two-thirds of my life!
Merry Christmas.