#05. Ambiguous Standards of Unicodification: Hands
Hand gestures have always had a specific meaning according to geography, culture and context, but with emojis we are sharing hand signals far across time and space. The introduction of over-generalised skin colours to emoji further complicates cultural transferability. A set of hand gestures used commonly in Turkey are demonstrated in a video, alongside a set of 3D-printed emoji hands, and a spectrum of skin foundation. Can what we communicate through our hands be quantified in a standard?
photo: Kayhan Kuygusuz
The ubiquity of digital communication makes the non-textual means of communication critical. These symbols named emoji or emoticon are ambiguous in their nature, on various levels. Their implicit meaning might be unclear, it might show discrepancies in various social/cultural contexts. Also, the over-generalized categorization regarding their color makes them vulnerable in the face of the multiplicity of real life.
photo: Kayhan Kuygusuz