Encoding and the hidden world of text — ASCII, Unicode, UTF-8

​Every message you send, every line of code you write, every emoji you use all rely on something most people never think about: text encoding.

​In this beginner-friendly workshop, we’ll uncover the hidden layer behind how computers understand text. You’ll learn how characters become numbers, how different encoding systems work, and why things sometimes break when text is handled incorrectly.

​By the end of the session, you won’t just use text you’ll understand it.

​What You’ll Learn

• ​How computers represent text using numbers

• ​The difference between ASCII, Unicode, and UTF-8

• ​Why encoding issues happen (and how to avoid them)

• ​How emojis, symbols, and different languages are handled

• ​Real-world examples of encoding bugs and how to fix them

​Who Should Attend

• ​Beginners in software engineering

• ​Anyone learning to code

• ​Curious minds who want to understand how computers really work

• ​Developers who’ve seen weird text bugs and want clarity

​What to Expect

• ​Simple explanations with real examples

• ​Live demonstrations

• ​Interactive moments to test understanding

• ​No prior experience required