Once upon a time, it was a crazy time in the wild, wild west of rapidly growing mobile technology. People needed to communicate with more than just words - they needed tone, emotion, and a way to express themselves beyond text.
Crazy little emoji characters were popping up all over the place (and this was so cool!), but there was a problem. Everyone had their own set of emoji, and they weren't always compatible with other devices. It was a wild and confusing time! People were left scratching their heads wondering what their friends and colleagues were trying to say.
Enter the new superhero of the digital world - the Unicode Consortium - to save the day! They were experts in the art of encoding characters, including letters, numbers, and symbols, in digital devices and applications. This team was already dedicated to creating a standardized system for encoding characters, so that people across the globe could communicate with ease. They recognized the problem with emoji and set out to create a solution.
The Unicode Consortium got to work creating a standardized set of emoji that could be used across all platforms and devices. They worked hard to create a system that would allow developers and device manufacturers to use a single encoding system, ensuring that emoji could be displayed consistently across all platforms. It was a daunting task, but they were up to the challenge.
Thanks to their efforts, the world of emoji became less chaotic and much more universal. No longer were people left guessing what their friends and colleagues meant when they sent an emoji. Now, they could be confident that the emoji they sent would be understood and displayed correctly, no matter what device or platform they were using. How civilized!
The Unicode Consortium didn't stop there. They continue to work tirelessly to add new emoji to the Unicode Standard, reflecting the ever-evolving needs of users. Today, there are over 3,500 emoji in the Unicode Standard, covering a wide range of emotions, objects, animals, and activities.
And so, we have the Unicode Consortium to thank for bringing order to the chaotic world of emoji and making it possible for people all around the world to communicate with ease.
