I thought it was JavaScript libraries written by people obsessed with the word "awesome", and separately the broader inclusivity movement. For some reason, I think people think riddling a README with emoji makes the document more inclusive.

> For some reason, I think people think riddling a README with emoji makes the document more inclusive.

Why do you think that? I try to stay involved in accessibility community (if that's what you mean by inclusive?) and I've not heard anyone advocate for emojis over text?

It's really only anecdotal — I observed this as a popular meme between ~2015-2020.

I say "meme" because I believe this is how the information spreads — I think people in that particular clique suggest it to each other and it becomes a form of in-group signalling rather than an earnest attempt to improve the accessibility of information.

I'm wary now of straying into argumentum ad ignorantiam territory, but I think my observation is consistent with yours insofar as the "inclusivity" community I'm referring to doesn't have much overlap with the accessibility community; the latter being more an applied science project, and the former being more about humanities and social theory.

Could you give an example of the inclusivity community? I'm not sure I understand.

I mean the diversity and inclusion world — people focused on social equity and representation rather than technical usability. Their work is more rooted in social theory and ethics than in empirical research.