Should the nerd emoji be redesigned to make it more inclusive?

A 10-year-old boy in Britain has asked Apple to redesign the nerd emoji on the grounds it is “offensive” to people who wear glasses. 

"They're making people think we're nerds and it's absolutely horrible,” Teddy told the BBC. 

"It's making me feel sad and upset, and if I find it offensive there'll be thousands of people around the world that find it offensive too."

Teddy has redesigned the nerd emoji in a way he hopes will not make short-sighted people feel bad. 

"It's got thin lenses and thin frames... and then it's got a little smiley face instead of the horrible rabbit teeth," he explained.

"I like wearing glasses because they make me see a lot better, and they look good and stylish."

Is being nerd a bad thing?

Out on the streets of Dublin, Moncrieff reporter Henry McKean got talking to a Trinity student who felt the term ‘nerd’ no longer has negative connotations. 

“I feel like the term ‘nerd’, it’s kind of gone up and down [in people’s estimation],” she said. 

“It used to be something [you’d] make fun of, for being ‘book-smart’ and it wasn’t cool, maybe?”

A glasses wearer herself, she also admitted she probably is ‘book-smart’ herself. 

“I love books, so I feel like I would be one,” she said. 

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing, it’s kind of like a trend almost.” 

'A text message says it all anyway'

However, Peter McMahon said he thought the debate was irrelevant and people should not bother using emojis at all. 

He has worn glasses since he was 22 but did not consider himself a nerd growing up. 

“I think your message tells everything,” he said. 

“You don’t need to stick those faces on it.” 

He added he was a great believer in “keeping things simple” and does not pay much attention to advances in technology. 

“In 1999/2000, I was first-class at high tech because I needed to be for my job - I was a corporate manager,” he said. 

“But I don’t need that anymore and now I walk the mountains, I go kayaking, I send text messages. 

“I’m not interested in emojis, everything I say in a text message says it all anyway.”

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Main image: A large group of emoji smileys with a nerd face with eyeglasses. Picture by: Alamy.com