Who decides which emojis appear on your smartphone keyboard?

Ever wonder how a new emoji makes it to your device? This talk explores the surprisingly regulated world of emoji creation and the grassroots movement working to make the process more inclusive and representative for everyone.

The Unicode Consortium, a non-profit organization based in Silicon Valley, oversees the approval process for new emojis. Its membership is primarily composed of multinational US tech companies. Jennifer 8. Lee, a founder of the grassroots group Emojination, advocates for a more democratic approach to this system, operating under the motto 'Emoji for the people, by the people.'

Lee, who serves as a vice-chair of the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee, has helped facilitate the inclusion of diverse symbols such as the hijab, dumpling, interracial couple, sari, and piñata. Emojination has been responsible for approximately half of all new emoji approvals in recent years.

Source: Emoji by the People, For the People, a CS50 tech talk by Jennifer 8. Lee