We propose the symbol ⁂ to represent the fediverse.

We propose the symbol ⁂ to represent the fediverse.

…

⁂ is called an asterism. In astronomy, it refers to groups of stars in the sky, akin to constellations. We suggest that it’s a very fitting symbol for the fediverse, a galaxy of interconnected spaces which is decentralised and has an astronomically-themed name. It represents several stars coming together, connecting but each their own, without a centre.

…

@ is the symbol for e-mail. # is the symbol for hashtags. ☮ is the symbol for peace. ♻ is the symbol for recycling. ⁂ can be the symbol for the fediverse. ⁂ is standardised as Unicode U+2042, making it ready to copy and insert anywhere.

Git Repository: fediverse-symbol/fediverse-symbol

    • simple@lemm.eeEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      Having a unicode icon that can be copy pasted anywhere is nifty, but yeah I’m really not a fan of choosing this one.

      • intensely_human@lemm.eeEnglish
        0·
        2 months ago

        Why do we need to have a unicode character that refers to the fediverse?

        Are we trying to replace our alphabetical language with a language of ideograms?

        • jerkface@lemmy.caEnglish
          0·
          2 months ago

          Can you answer, “Why do we need a symbol that represents the Fediverse?” Because modulo that, your question becomes, “Why does the symbol that represents the Fediverse have to have a Unicode codepoint?”

          We don’t need it to be a Unicode character, but there are advantages if it is that are so obvious they don’t even bear discussion.

            • jerkface@lemmy.caEnglish
              0·
              2 months ago

              That’s nonsense.

              If you know what those reasons are, then whether or not they have been articulated should not influence how you feel about those reasons. To think I could control your mind by not saying things. Just think of all the things I am not saying right now. You’ll go mad.

              If you DON’T know what those reasons are, then you are simply not able to respect them less than you do now.

    • jerkface@lemmy.caEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      It’s literally a character, like aitch.

      ⁂

      I’m pretty sure we’re cool to use it. The advantage of using a glyph that already exists in Unicode is huge.

      • drspod@lemmy.mlEnglish
        0·
        2 months ago

        Are you one of the three proposers mentioned in the git repository?

        • jerkface@lemmy.caEnglish
          0·
          2 months ago

          No I’m just so very bored and this is the classic bikeshed issue so I figure I won’t cause any problems here.

  • Tippon@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    Am I misunderstanding this - you want to replace a recognised symbol with a symbol that’s already being used by another group? That seems counterproductive at best.

    I’m also wondering, have you spoken to anyone with poor eyesight? This is my reply to a comment below suggesting that the new symbol would be easier to read:

    I’m reading this thread on mobile, and the fediverse logo next to the community name is much easier to see than the three stars. If I didn’t already know what the three stars were from the rest of the post, I wouldn’t have a clue what they were supposed to be in the body. They look like a blurry capital A. Obviously the fediverse logo is bigger there, which helps, but it’s not significantly bigger, and would still be clearer at a smaller size

    • jerkface@lemmy.caEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      It’s not being used by another group to represent themselves. It’s a technical symbol like degrees or pi. This idea is similar to how the semicolon is being re-used as a symbol for a group of people. Nothing is being stolen from anyone.

      • Tippon@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
        0·
        2 months ago

        I didn’t say that it was being used to represent anyone, or that it was being stolen, I said that it was already in use. To use your examples, I’d think that using Pi or the degree symbol to represent the fediverse would be a bad idea too, as they could also lead to confusion. The semicolon is punctuation, so there’s less chance of confusion with that.

        If an astronomy group made a poster with the three stars, would the stars be representing star clusters, or advertising that they’re on the fediverse? Given that the fediverse is still relatively small, is there more chance of the stars being seen as an astronomical symbol?

        • jerkface@lemmy.caEnglish
          0·
          2 months ago

          Oh my god, you’re right. How could I have failed to see the risk. They must be stopped at all costs.

    • aasatru@kbin.earth
      0·
      2 months ago

      Yeah, mine too.

      Which I’m fine with. If the metaphor is that the Fediverse is a fucking blizzard of snowflakes organizing against corporate social media, I’m all in for it. If it serves to alienate right wing weirdos then all the better. In the end it’s all about freezing out the fucking fascists.

  • m-p{3}@lemmy.caEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    I’d rather see the current Fediverse logo added to Unicode than reuse an existing symbol. It’s not impossible, considering that the Bitcoin symbol (₿) ended up making it.

  • asdfasdfasdf@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    Did someone just slap this together by copying and pasting an asterisk three times? I know we’re an open source, nerdy community but could we hire a graphic designer?

  • aeronmelon@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    2 months ago

    I like it because it reminds me of the Japanese kanji 森 Mori (Forest).

    Which is in and of itself brilliant because it’s the kanji 木 Ki (Tree) repeated three times and bunched together.

    • chiisana@lemmy.chiisana.netEnglish
      0·
      2 months ago

      Technically, the words are adopted from Chinese (in this case both Traditional and Simplified are the same and have not diverged yet); but same meaning and reasoning, just different pronunciation.

      • aeronmelon@lemmy.worldEnglish
        0·
        2 months ago

        I know that Kanji was originally derived from Chinese but I don’t know which Chinese characters are the same and which are different without doing research.

        It is nice that in this case the symbols are the same all the way across the board. 5/5 design choice on both counts.