Insufficient Diversity: Nature Emojis Fail to Capture Salamanders, Spiders, and Flatworms
Emojis fail to reflect nature's diversity, hindering conservation efforts and fostering disinterest in lesser-known species Scientists reveal an analysis exposing the bias, stressing the detrimental ripple effect caused by the lack of attention
Two years ago at a conference, Italian ecologist Francesco Ficetola had a realization: emojis could be used to support global conservation efforts. Ficetola, who specializes in salamander research, found it difficult to quickly communicate with colleagues due to the lack of salamander emojis.
During the ecology conference, he discovered that he was not the only one concerned about the lack of a digital icon for aquatic fungi. This led Ficetola and his colleague, Stefano Mammola, to begin a thorough examination of animal and nature emojis on Emojipedia, a widely recognized global library of emojis. Their research aimed to determine how much of the emoji collection represents the Earth's "tree of life," a metaphor and model for grouping living entities and mapping their evolutionary relationships.
The research, which was released in the journal iScience on Monday, brings attention to a bias in biodiversity research. According to the study, Emojipedia better represents animals compared to plants, fungi, and other organisms.
Humans have a natural tendency to feel more empathy towards living things that are more closely related to them, a fact that concerns Ficetola. The scientists emphasize the importance of maintaining a diverse range of animal and organism emojis, as this helps raise awareness about lesser-known species and the efforts to protect them.
"Effective communication is crucial. When people are aware of the existence of these organisms, they are more likely to value and appreciate them. This awareness also makes it easier to convey the importance of conserving them," explained Ficetola, a professor of environmental science and policy at the University of Milan.
An analysis of emojis highlights biodiversity bias
Researchers and individuals involved in the study of animal biodiversity frequently utilize emojis in their communications. When we noticed that numerous animals were absent from the emoji library, it prompted us to question what was lacking and why. Ficetola informed CNN, "This was crucial for enhancing communication about biodiversity."
Following a discussion with an aquatic fungi expert, Mammola and Ficetola made the decision to carry out a quantitative analysis of emojis. Despite the topic seeming somewhat arbitrary, Mammola, an ecology and subterranean biology researcher at the Italian National Research Council, found the results to be surprising.
Ficetola, Mammola, and their colleague, University of Milan researcher Mattia Falaschi, examined nature-themed emojis on Emojipedia. They identified 112 different organisms, comprising 92 animals, 16 plants, and one fungus. Despite the abundance of marine life, the emojis featured very few marine animals, which is surprising given that 70% of the Earth is covered by the sea, according to Ficetola.
The research revealed an overrepresentation of animals and vertebrates, while plants, fungi, microorganisms, and arthropods like spiders and scorpions are underrepresented. Additionally, certain species such as starfish, water bears (tiny aquatic animals also known as tardigrades), and flatworms were entirely ignored.
Ficetola emphasized the misconception that fungi are not as significant, highlighting their crucial role in soil. "The planet's life relies on fungi," he noted.
The lack of attention has a ripple effect, scientists say
Its not surprising that large mammals such as monkeys, cats and dogs are well represented among emoji.
The researchers observed that humans tend to be more empathetic and aware of organisms that are closer to us, such as vertebrates, with awareness decreasing as the evolutionary distance from Homo sapiens increases. Additionally, the abundance of animal emojis and the lack of plant, fungi, and microorganism emojis can impact societal awareness and the prioritization of species.
The study highlighted the unequal focus and financial support for plants and fungi in biodiversity conservation compared to animals, despite the vital ecosystem services they provide. Additionally, there was a noticeable imbalance even among animal emojis, with vertebrates representing 76% of available animal emoji taxa.
Only 16% of emojis represent arthropods, despite being the most diverse group in the tree of life, as noted in the study. However, the study also pointed out a positive trend: the number of animal and nature emojis has more than doubled in the past eight years, with a current total of 214 available on Emojipedia.
The coauthors aim for the study to offer insight that emoji biodiversity encompasses more than just lions, monkeys, and pandas. Ficetola mentioned that they have not yet engaged with the Unicode Emoji Subcommittee, responsible for determining which emojis are added. However, he is optimistic that the study will encourage people to reconsider how biodiversity is communicated in the digital age through the emoji tree of life. According to him, the committee's criteria for adding emojis are heavily influenced by popularity and interest.
The subcommittee reviews proposals for new emojis on their website and makes decisions based on factors such as usage level, compatibility with existing social media platforms, and distinctiveness. Ficetola mentioned that if he could add two emojis immediately, he would choose the starfish and tardigrade.
Fungi or moss would be his colleague Mammola's top choices for documenting biodiversity and conservation efforts. "It's a group that's very popular, but often overlooked," he said of the latter, a nonvascular flowerless plant in the Bryophytes family. While emojis may appear simple, scientists emphasized their significance in capturing and preserving the memory of extinct animals as well as communicating the urgency of conservation efforts.
