Entry #8 - Egyptian emojis

I found this very interesting excerpt from tintup.com when reading up on hashtags on our last go: "the written word and the spoken word have always influenced each other in their formality. In the past, we spoke more formally because of how formally we wrote. In the present, we write less formally because of how informally we speak. Speech and writing influence each other, and always have.
This idea is supported by science. In a recent paper, six computer scientists from Brazil found “not only qualitative, but also quantitative similarities between offline and online speech communities.” In other words, the way language trends develop and words become popular IRL (in real life) is mimicked on Twitter. We really are writing how we talk."
http://www.tintup.com/blog/how-hashtags-changed-the-way-we-talk/

It then occurred to me- Sometimes I communicate with my friends just by sending emojis on our phones. We can have full blown conversations using just symbols! Not a word is said (or typed) and I know exactly what they're trying to say or what emotions they are trying to convey. Pretty fascinating if you ask me.


Well, continuing on with my life, because that's just what I do, I was fiddling around on my phone and saw a post on Instagram depicting a guy pointing to a symbol on his shirt. 

In the picture the guy is obviously a tourist (sombrero is usually a sure sign, trust me I know), asking a local  patron for directions.
"Hmmm, that's a clever idea, lazy, but clever" I thought. I mean with a smartphone you can just pop up Google translate and you can attempt to butcher any language you choose. But the shirt gives you the convenience of pointing to exactly what you need. 
The company is called ICONSPEAK and this is how they intend on making an impact: 
"Simplicity was always a trait that unites us in many forms, call it lazy or genius, but we like to keep it simple. And hence follows our starting point of how to bridge the language barriers of our world: a shirt. Through a shirt you can – in the most rudimentary ways – combine gestures, vocals and mimics to create interaction. A shirt does not need to be recharged and still, you can have it on as long as you please. Furthermore you won’t have to worry that we will send you software updates to your shirt which will make it uncomfortable to wear, slow to wash or any such thing. It’s a shirt. This is where we start, but not where we will stop – the challenges on our way to bridge the language barriers of our world are manifold and will lead us to platforms and mediums other than textile as well…"

Interesting.

So let's put 2 and 2 together...what does it mean if we can communicate through emojis, and get directions by pointing to pictures on a shirt? Are we really that lazy? Just kidding. Really though. 
What direction is language headed if we are able to have full on conversations using only symbols?
Were the Egyptians way ahead of their time using hieroglyphics? Is a universal language going to be developed with symbols being the core of communication? Has a universal language ALREADY been developed?

I have no idea what this means. But from the looks of it maybe they're giving away free ice cream at McDonald's?