TBWA\Dublin wants a happy mask emoji
The Irish agency TBWA\Dublin believes the current face mask emoji is no longer up to date—and has therefore proposed an updated version to Unicode, the developer.
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The Covid 19 pandemic has made protective masks part of our everyday lives. In our neighboring countries Spain and Italy, where masks were mandatory everywhere for a time, over 80% of the population wore a protective mask.
In connection with this global change, TBWA\Dublin identified a small problem in a widely used form of communication - emoji use. Before the pandemic, the hygiene mask emoji was considered a sign of illness and the like, intended to trigger a sense of unease and concern in both the sender and the receiver.
The current version of the emoji emphasizes this sentiment. The closed eyes above the mask are the same as those used in other emojis meant to express negative feelings. In a study conducted by TBWA\Dublin together with 100 Voices, it was also revealed that respondents perceive the emoji in a rather negative context.
Emoji should convey different feeling
Nowadays, protective masks have a different status in our society - they are supposed to be a sign of health and well-being, as well as a positive feeling. That's why the Irish agency has proposed an updated version of the protective mask emoji - a cheerful protective mask emoji.
