Emoji are everywhere in our online conversations. From iMessage to WhatsApp, from Messenger to Twitter, Emoji help us say more, quicker. There are Emoji for almost everything: food, transport, and smileys of course… and also many combinations that suggest sex (👉👌or 🍆🍑). Yet, there are none to suggest safe sex.
So on December 1st – World AIDS day – Durex will campaign for a #CondomEmoji to be created. And your help is needed.
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Teens, adults, in fact everyone is concerned. Sexting exists, so why not make it “safe”? Durex wants to change the world, one Emoji at a time, and make it a safer place, maybe even disease-free one day? And it all starts by bringing “safe” back into sexting. And what can do this better than an Emoji?
Karen Chisolm, Marketing Director of Durex, explained:
[quote]Emojis of this sort will enable young people to overcome embarrassment around the discussion of safe sex, encourage conversation and raise awareness of the importance of using condoms in protecting against sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV and AIDS.[/quote]
Durex also conducted a study among 18-25 year-olds, to provide some serious statistical background to the campaign:
- – 80% of 18-25 year olds find it easier to express themselves using emoji
- – More than half regularly using emoji when discussing sex
- – 84% said they feel more comfortable talking about sex using emoji
- – More than one-third claim not to care about safe sex
- – Nearly half think that HIV will never affect them or their friends
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So now do you see how important a #CondomEmoji is?
How can you help? Well you can start by sharing the news, and add #CondomEmoji to your tweets. Hopefully your combined efforts, and the media influence that the campaign will generate, will be enough to convince the big emoji masters.
If you like our stories, there is an easy way to stay updated:
Follow @wersm