iOS 9.1 users no longer have to turn in their beds thinking about who could be watching or, at least, try to figure out whatever the "eye-in-speech bubble" emoji could mean because the answer is here.
Adobe, its ad agency Goodby Silverstein and Partners (GS&P), along with Ad Council launched the "I Am A Witness" anti-bullying campaign and released the said emoji in an effort to target the witnesses of bullying a tool to speak against the bullies or support the victims.
The "eye-in-speech bubble" is now the very first emoji created in support of a social cause and it seems it won't stop with iOS because companies such as Google, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Johnson & Johnson are just some of the influential partners that have given their support to the campaign.
Adobe's Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Ann Lewnes is very much dedicated to the anti-bullying cause and she was more inspired to act when Lee Hirsh released his documentary "Bully." Lewns' commitment was already seen in 2014 when Adobe supported "The Bully Project Mural," a site that urges people to share their experiences.
Adobe and GS&P believe that the witnesses are a strong force that can help in lessening and even stopping bullying from happening if they can voice out their opposition to bullying and encouragement for the victims. This is how they came up with the combination of the eye and the speech bubble.
"[...] victims of bullying feel completely isolated and unseen. And bullies feel empowered to bully because they feel like they might be a little anonymous. By making the symbol an eye, it's like, 'No, I see what you're doing.' It's about accountability," Kate Baynham, copywriter at GS&P said.
GS&P's Adobe Account Director Cassi Norman explained that most anti-bullying campaigns focus on the bullies and victims themselves and that, in order to have more impact, witnesses of bullying should also be active in taking a stand against it or lending support to the victims. This is what their team had in mind when they created the symbol.
"Whether it's bringing kindness or support to the person who's experiencing the bullying, or calling it out, or just saying 'I don't stand for it,' it's a flexible symbol that can adapt to those different needs" Norman said.
The answer to why they decided to create an emoji as a tool for their campaign is because teenagers nowadays are so familiar with using emojis.
"We want the kids to own it, we want them to start the movement, we want them to take it over," GS&P's Angie Elko, who designed the original eye-in-speech bubble emoji with Patrick Knowlton, said.
Watch the Ad Council's anti-bullying video under the "I Am A Witness" campaign.
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