Digital communication is becoming more vibrant with emojis, yet researchers argue there's a significant gap in representing nature's biodiversity. According to an Italian research team, published in the journal "iScience," emojis only barely capture the diversity of animals, plants, and nature, with groups like fungi, microorganisms, and arthropods severely underrepresented .
The researchers believed that expanding emoji diversity could sensitize people to the importance of species conservation. By focusing on less represented species, such as mushrooms and arthropods, emissions could raise awareness and promote appreciation for Earth's diverse life forms .
The findings revealed an imbalance in the accuracy of animal depiction, with some species, like a bald eagle or giant panda, clearly presented, and others like ants, fish, and crocodiles merely simplified. This bias mirrors current society's lack of attention toward biodiversity, as seldom-discussed species become emojis through internet searches .
Over the past seven years, a modest increase in emoji variety has been observed, with a jump from 45 animal emojis in 2015 to 92 in 2022. Plant emojis also increased, indicating that people are slowly gaining interest in representing less-discussed species.
Addressing this lack of diversity can be achieved by promoting education about biodiversity and the essential role of microbes in ecosystems. A possibility is to add an emoji referring to beneficial microbes, like Escherichia coli, as a symbol for microbial diversity .
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- Enrichment Data
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