The open access article ” Biodiversity communication in the digital era through the Emoji tree of life” might be a candidate for the (Ig)Noble. At least, it expresses the hope for better communication, and highlights:
- Currently available emojis encompass a broad range of animal species
- Plants, fungi, and microorganisms are underrepresented in the current emoji set
- Within animals, vertebrates are overrepresented and arthropods are underrepresented
- Recent additions allow a better representation of animal phylogenetic diversity
Emojis enable direct expressions of ideas and emotions in digital communication, also contributing to discussions on biodiversity conservation. Nevertheless, the ability of emojis to represent the Earth’s tree of life remains unexplored. Here, we quantified the taxonomic comprehensiveness of currently available nature-related emojis and tested whether the expanding availability of emojis enables a better coverage of extant biodiversity.
Currently available emojis encompass a broad range of animal species, while plants, fungi, and microorganisms are underrepresented. Within animals, vertebrates are significantly overrepresented compared to their actual richness, while arthropods are underrepresented. Notwithstanding these taxonomic disparities, animal taxa represented by emojis more than doubled from 2015 to 2022, allowing an improved representation of both taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity, driven by the recent addition of cnidarians and annelids.
Creating an inclusive emoji set is essential to ensure a fair representation of biodiversity in digital communication and showcase its importance for biosphere functioning.
Black branches indicate available emojis at a given time step;
red branches indicate emojis added from the previous time step;
emojis that were added in the following time steps are in light gray
The currently available set of nature-related emojis provides a broad but incomplete representation of the Earth’s tree of life. The main biases pertain to the scarcity of emojis depicting fungi, plants, and microorganisms, and an overrepresentation of vertebrates over arthropods.
While these disparities may reflect the general awareness of the public on biodiversity, in the long run, they can impede communication on environmental issues. However, we have highlighted a positive temporal trend, with the recent addition of emojis depicting neglected groups such as cnidarians and annelids.
If this trend continues, we may soon reach a more equitable representation of the Earth’s tree of life in the emoji set available across different online platforms, paving the way for a more engaging communication of biodiversity and its conservation.
While the biodiversity crisis may seem distant from the online world, in our increasingly digitized society, we should not underestimate the potential of emojis to raise awareness and foster appreciation for the diversity of life on Earth.
Surtil : 