1 January 2006

Emoticons

Emoticons – emotional icons – have become more than annoying. Also known as “smileys,” these symbolic drawings are rooted in history. The next time you are in the British Museum, check the last figure in the bottom row of hieroglyphics carved into the Rosetta stone. It is clearly the first use of a smiley face.

In 1963, the smiley face, a yellow button with a smile and two dots representing eyes, was invented by freelance artist Harvey Ball. This smiley presumably inspired later emoticons; the most basic emoticon image is a small yellow smiley face. This symbol is used by an infamous "discount" megastore chain to give the illusion that employees are happy.

Emoticons have developed over the years as a replacement for facial expressions and other emotional cues lacking in text-only communication. The goal – for individuals incapable of expressing their feelings with words - is to avoid misunderstandings due to the lack of contextual information. Many books have been written on this subject, with voluminous listings of emoticons.

Since the advent of the World Wide Web, simple text-based smileys have been used by word-challenged individuals to express

happiness    :-)
sadness       :-(
contempt      :-p

For those of you who have never seen a smiley, you have to turn the page (or monitor) clockwise to view the images.

Instant Messaging services have added to the madness, by creating animated icons. To help the emoticon-challenged, here are but a few examples:

Emoticon	Meaning
	"The world is grand. I need a lobotomy."
	"That was really funny. I need a lobotomy."
	"That was really bad. You need a lobotomy."
	"Why did you poke me in the eye?"
	"It's fun to play at the Y ... M ... C ... A"
	Proof that disco isn't dead.
	GUINNESS® Draught beer [Found in all Irish pubs.]
	"Pint of Guinness, please!" [Go to any pub in Ireland, it works.]
	Enjoying a pint (or two) of Guinness.
	The morning after one too many Guinness.

If you MUST use emoticons, please use them sparingly. There are classes in English grammar and writing, which can help you to better form sentences. You may even learn to spell out words instead of using abbreviations (LOL, for example, means “laughing out loud.” However, I have found that if one uses LOL, the referenced thought wasn’t that funny.)

When you e-mail me, use emoticons at your own risk. Be aware that my e-mail program does not display graphics, so sending smileys to me will have no effect.