6 votes

Coalition of charitable and peace-building organisations in Finland crowdsource for 'forgiveness' emoji

20 comments

  1. [5]
    mat
    Link
    It's interesting that they don't think there is an emoji for 'sorry' because it's been there since Emoji 1.0. 🙇 It is, because they originated emoji, a Japanese apology gesture and as such a lot...

    It's interesting that they don't think there is an emoji for 'sorry' because it's been there since Emoji 1.0. 🙇 It is, because they originated emoji, a Japanese apology gesture and as such a lot of non-Japanese users don't recognise it. See also the emoji for please/thankyou, which is commonly used to mean prayer.

    Emoji are super cool because they're the closest to a universal language that humanity has ever come up with (to date), but certain idioms just don't translate.

    5 votes
    1. [4]
      NaraVara
      Link Parent
      In India that's a formal greeting.

      See also the emoji for please/thankyou, which is commonly used to mean prayer.

      In India that's a formal greeting.

      2 votes
      1. [2]
        moocow1452
        Link Parent
        Could emojis be used in a formal setting sometime in the future? 🤔

        Could emojis be used in a formal setting sometime in the future? 🤔

        1 vote
        1. NaraVara
          Link Parent
          Within my company Slack the namaste emoji is frequently used as a "thank you" gesture to politely terminate a conversation. (As in, "Cool nothing more I need from you. Have a good day"). We also...

          Within my company Slack the namaste emoji is frequently used as a "thank you" gesture to politely terminate a conversation. (As in, "Cool nothing more I need from you. Have a good day"). We also use the thumbs-up as acknowledgement, the house as a "working from home" status, and the ringing bell to emphasize tasks for internal memos.

          Typically, business communication has been the benchmark for how we define "formal language" so we might already be there. It won't be long before these shorthands make the jump from internal comms to outward facing comms.

          3 votes
      2. mat
        Link Parent
        Commonly used in the West, my apologies.

        Commonly used in the West, my apologies.

        1 vote
  2. [8]
    Octofox
    Link
    Emojis really have started to get ridiculous. Other than a laughing face and a pile of poop there isn't much more you can fit in an 10px space. I can't even tell what half of the current emoji...

    Emojis really have started to get ridiculous. Other than a laughing face and a pile of poop there isn't much more you can fit in an 10px space. I can't even tell what half of the current emoji are. There is no way you can make one for "forgiveness" that makes any sense at all.

    4 votes
    1. [5]
      NaraVara
      Link Parent
      That's where you're wrong.

      There is no way you can make one for "forgiveness" that makes any sense at all.

      That's where you're wrong.

      2 votes
      1. moocow1452
        Link Parent
        Under Standard Memelish, that's more of a "powerful unity under adversity" picture. Forgiveness doesn't have a meme template, but it would probably be something like "outstretched hand" or...

        Under Standard Memelish, that's more of a "powerful unity under adversity" picture. Forgiveness doesn't have a meme template, but it would probably be something like "outstretched hand" or "connected hands," but on the downswing of a hand shake rather than an arm wrestle.

        6 votes
      2. [3]
        unknown user
        Link Parent
        Maybe to a certain Western techie niche. It tells me nothing of forgiveness.

        Maybe to a certain Western techie niche. It tells me nothing of forgiveness.

        1 vote
        1. [2]
          NaraVara
          Link Parent
          It was a joke

          It was a joke

          1 vote
          1. unknown user
            Link Parent
            Oh shoot, sorry :)

            Oh shoot, sorry :)

            1 vote
    2. [2]
      teaearlgraycold
      Link Parent
      You actually get quite a lot of pixels for emoji on a modern high resolution smart phone.

      You actually get quite a lot of pixels for emoji on a modern high resolution smart phone.

      1 vote
      1. Octofox
        Link Parent
        Its a lot of px in a tiny space so I still can't work out what most of them are.

        Its a lot of px in a tiny space so I still can't work out what most of them are.

        2 votes
  3. [7]
    unknown user
    Link
    Maybe because it'd be a bit rude? I wouldn't, for one, fancy that over a proper apology.

    But of all the weird, wonderful and miscellaneous icons, none appear to equate to saying sorry.

    Maybe because it'd be a bit rude? I wouldn't, for one, fancy that over a proper apology.

    1 vote
    1. [5]
      Greg
      Link Parent
      The idea makes much more sense to me using the word forgiveness, as in the title, and I think the author muddied things a bit with "saying sorry" in that line. I doubt anyone behind the campaign...

      The idea makes much more sense to me using the word forgiveness, as in the title, and I think the author muddied things a bit with "saying sorry" in that line.

      I doubt anyone behind the campaign is planning for the emoji alone to take the place of a heartfelt apology for something serious, but I can see it having a place as a gentle way to wind things back a little if they get too heated on Twitter, for example.

      2 votes
      1. [4]
        unknown user
        Link Parent
        But then the challenge is that how do you make one that's not subjective. Two people of different ethnicities flying into a heart symbol, especially, means nothing like it too me.

        But then the challenge is that how do you make one that's not subjective. Two people of different ethnicities flying into a heart symbol, especially, means nothing like it too me.

        3 votes
        1. [3]
          Greg
          Link Parent
          That's one of the interesting things about internet-era communication, though: it can still convey meaning even without being objective (or even self explanatory). Ideas spread by their usage, so...

          That's one of the interesting things about internet-era communication, though: it can still convey meaning even without being objective (or even self explanatory). Ideas spread by their usage, so the majority of people know that 🍆 is usually an innuendo, or that aLtErNaTiNg CaPs imply sarcasm, even though both are entirely context dependent.

          For what it's worth I do actually think that the cultural impact of emoji tends to be a bit overstated, but I still find them linguistically interesting, and doubly so when people care enough to make a campaign like this one.

          1 vote
    2. mat
      Link Parent
      Depends on the context of the apology, really. If I've crashed into your car or burned down your shed, sure, I want something better than an emoji. But if my team just beat yours at a sports, or...

      Depends on the context of the apology, really. If I've crashed into your car or burned down your shed, sure, I want something better than an emoji. But if my team just beat yours at a sports, or in a jokey sorry-not-sorry situation among friends? I think it's nice to have a less formal/meaningful way to apologise.

      2 votes