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Controlling the Message One Emoji at a Time

Published on November 14, 2016, at 4:24 p.m.
By Mary Catherine Molay

Emojis: To some, they are an intricate part of how we communicate in the 21st century. You can send one to add emphasis, show how you feel and explain what you are doing. Many individuals, including myself, get overjoyed when hearing of a new emoji update coming soon; however, this time I was not as excited. I was actually confused because I thought my Second Amendment right was being limited.

Apple decided to take a stance and replace one of the emojis as a way of controlling its message. The pistol has now been replaced with a green-and-orange water gun.

Photo byJosh Valcarcel/WIRED
Photo byJosh Valcarcel/WIRED

Due to recent events in the United States, PR practitioners have to be more cautious than ever when controlling and creating their messages. Instead of being serious, the switch to a water gun appears to be more relaxed and playful. As someone who is pro-Second Amendment, initially I was not happy about this change. I was not sure why Apple made the change. I took the change as a stance against the Second Amendment.

The Second Amendment states that, “a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”

After researching the topic, I realized that Apple might not be taking a stance for or against the Second Amendment after all. Rather, Apple leaders are educating their users about the importance of gun safety. Many Apple users are young, so it makes total sense to me, as we all learn most of our lessons and values early in life.

The Independent reports that, “the [emoji] weapons have had real consequences, though, regularly being used to threaten people. Police have arrested people for using the emoji as a threat, and a French court has warned that the emoji itself could constitute a death threat.”

Photo by https://nyphotographic.com/
Photo by https://nyphotographic.com/

Sometimes controlling our message is imperative, particularly when harm may result if that message is misinterpreted or misrepresented. Especially with emojis, we need to ensure that the message is not offensive or cannot be used in another way to cause confusion. Apple has helped by giving us a new view of this situation. The tech giant is actually helping to shape messages into potentially more positive conversations.

To me, Apple is not muzzling my Second Amendment right; instead, it is helping to teach all users about the importance of gun safety. However, Apple representatives have not made an official statement about the removal of the pistol emoji. It has only commented about the addition of the new emojis as a whole.

As effective PR practitioners, we need to explain when we make such drastic changes. Guns are not something that we should take lightheartedly. They are serious weapons and should be used with caution, whether on or off the screen.

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    At the beginning of this article, I found myself a little angry. Quick thoughts about people who rage against the phrase “PC” and political correctness in general came to mind. Around five paragraphs in, however, I was a little surprised. I feel like the implications hit home in the PR community because of the not-always-apparent need for open-mindedness. What could have been an article about anger and politics instead was used to educate and bring up important points about gun safety and cyber bullying. The catalyst for that change was a little research.

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