I think they can be very helpful for communicating quick, simple messages and I don't object to the idea that everyone should be encouraged to learn a universal standard language. I just don't want to this to replace the languages we already speak. And I realize that it is very easy for me to say that as a native speaker of English and I have it the easiest of anyone in the world. But I already get annoyed by the substitution of symbols for language in general and as a highly verbal person I resist the trend. I can't stand how 'instructions' for putting furniture together, for example, have no words, but only some often vague, blurry drawings that leave out important details or how clothing tags no longer say "Don't use an iron on this" or "Dry clean only" but instead have a bunch of hieroglyphics. And lastly the instructions on devices, cars, phones, the internet etc. are more and more being put into pictures instead of words and I hate sitting here puzzling over what some symbol means when I can't google it.
On the other hand it is not fair to others to deny them these advances, especially if they have trouble with English. recognize that we English speakers are a spoiled bunch. So if a separate, universal language of symbols arises and becomes standard I will do my part to learn it!
Last but not least, I wish my city New York had never gotten rid of these:
Thanks for adding your thoughts. Idiogarms are already being used on our roads / highways, railway stations, airports etc... They have no language barriers & everyone can understand them. Yes, its hard to express everything in emoji, We should find a solution for it. There is also a programming language invented with emojis BTW 😂 https://github.com/emojicode
Interesting about the programming language. Will check that out. Yes, it's true road signs are ideograms and I have accepted those all my life. I have no problem with a limited system like that being used to communicate the same things all over the world. I guess I'm just not yet ready to have day to day instructions written in glyphs. Maybe I am too written word dependent, idk.