The Evolution of Language: From Symbols to Emojis
In honour of World Emoji Day, we would like to shed light on one of the most important human qualities, which is the evolution of human communication. By discussing the evolution of language and the newer language of emoji’s, it highlights the importance of using a platform that utilizes multi-language filtering. It ensures that any organization, pupil, employee or user is protected from inappropriate content regardless of the language of origin. At Netsweeper this is a key focus in the evolution of our software and continuous update our Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Evolution of Language
As humanity has evolved, understanding how to communicate verbally and non-verbally has been an extremely important trait in the development of social behavior. Some of the first forms of communication as cited by scholar Marshall McLuhan, were done by drawing symbols on stones. Furthermore, McLuhan came up with the popularly referred to term that says, “the medium is the message”, which emphasizes the significance of both verbal and non-verbal communication throughout the evolution of language. While discussing this concept, author Jason Gross explains, “since the early days of communication, humanity has been captivated by the methods it uses to convey and preserve information. How we communicate with each other defines who we are and constitutes so much of what makes a culture and an individual unique”. Today with the development of emoji’s, which combines emotion with iconography, we see these early stages of human communication coming full circle.
The Language of Emoji’s
Many scholars have done research that claims how Emoji’s are generating an entirely new modern language, whereas some believe it is just a more contemporary version of language that combines very early forms of human literacy. Nonetheless, Harvard cognitive scientist and best-selling author Steven Pinker believes that emoji’s fill a gap in the English language. In an article that discusses the gap, Baer cites Pinker in suggesting that, “as with many of our punctuation symbols, like a question mark or an exclamation point, emoji’s are there to convey some communicative force that would not be obvious just from the arrangement of words on the page”.
In our highly virtual and text-oriented culture, the language of emoji’s replaces the deficiency of the most effective forms of human communication, which includes the use of body language, the tone of voice, and facial expression.
“…as with many of our punctuation symbols, like a question mark or an exclamation point, emoji’s are there to convey some communicative force that would not be obvious just from the arrangement of words on the page”.
The Importance of Language Filtering
According to a source, “Emoji is, today, incontrovertibly the world’s first truly universal form of communication”. Although Netsweeper does not yet filter the language of Emoji’s, the evolvement of this modern language sheds light on the importance of not only proper communication but the importance of language filtering.
In today’s increasingly digitalized world, having proper filtering is crucial as so much time communicating is spent online. Likewise, until recently, language filtering was confined to the English language only. However, this condition has changed with the introduction of multi-language filtering solutions by Netsweeper, as we recognize the importance to filter in as many languages as possible.
“Emoji is, today, incontrovertibly the world’s first truly universal form of communication”.
Millions of web pages are posted around the world daily in a variety of different languages, therefore having the ability to filter the web in multiple languages is imperative to combat the chance of cyber attack.
Netsweeper solutions are embedded with a highly dynamic artificial intelligence engine and a centralized web-based administration console, making IT resources highly active and error free. As a reliable and reputed service provider of highly dynamic internet content filtering, the Netsweeper solution offers internet providers and schools the opportunity to filter in a wide range of languages for ultimate protection.