RAHMAN: I found that there was research to show that the lightest skin tone was actually used the least, even though the white Twitter users outnumber Black Twitter users 4 to 1. And I want to begin with a somewhat basic question, which is who tends to use skin-toned emojis more? What did the research that you found say? KHALID: So Zara, you wrote an article on all of this a few years back. She's a writer and researcher based in Berlin. To help us understand, we've brought in Zara Rahman. But since then, a seemingly easy choice has become somewhat fraught. KHALID: Skin-toned emojis first rolled out in 2015, so it's been a while. I just don't have the emotional capacity to unpack race relations in the professional setting. JENNIFER EPPERSON: I use the default emoji, the yellow-toned one for professional settings, and then I use the dark brown emoji for friends and family. KHALID: For other people, the choice depends on where the messaging is happening and who they're messaging with. LAURA JOHNSON: In particular, Ijeoma Oluo and her fabulous book, "So You Want To Talk About Race" - she made me realize that our culture tends to default to whiteness, and that yellow emoji is white. KHALID: Laura Johnson from Austin, Texas, says she used to think the yellow emoji was neutral, but then she started reading a book that made her rethink that view. But if I use a darker color emoji, which maybe more closely matches what I see when I look at my whole family, it's not what the world sees, and people tend to judge that. RACELA: I present is very pale, very light skinned, and if I use the white emoji, I feel like I'm betraying the part of myself that's Filipino. KHALID: Racela says he usually goes with the yellow emoji because it does it represent any specific ethnicity or skin tone. I am three-quarters white, but I'm also a quarter Filipino. HEATH RACELA: This is Heath Racela in Littleton, Mass. I posted about it on Twitter this week where I learned clearly this was not an isolated obsession. I, too, have long been curious and a bit confused by the race politics of emojis. She says she's not offended when a non-brown friend uses a brown emoji, but would like to understand why. She's Black and originally from California. KHALID: That's Sarai Cole from Berlin, Germany. I have some friends who use the brown ones, too, but they are not brown themselves. SARAI COLE: I use the brown one that matches me. There's the "Simpsons" yellow version and then five different skin tone options. ![]() ![]() KHALID: But it's not that simple because there's not just one thumbs up option. (SOUNDBITE OF IMESSAGE NOTIFICATION SOUND) ![]() And I want to reply with a simple thumbs up emoji. So a lot of times I find myself texting a friend.
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