The significance of Unicode in computer systems lies in its ability to provide a comprehensive character encoding standard that supports virtually all written languages. By using a unique code point for each character, Unicode facilitates the consistent representation and manipulation of text across different devices and platforms, allowing for greater interoperability in global communication. This prevents issues related to character misrepresentation and supports multilingual applications, fostering inclusivity in software development. Unicode is essential in web technologies and programming languages, ensuring that user-generated content can be accurately displayed regardless of the language used.