;)
Emoticon, how I loathe thee. Let me count the ways.
On second thought, after so many months teaching a toddler to count, I'm not sure that I can count much beyond ten. So let me just tell you why I hate them.
I've gotten into "trouble" at least twice here in the blogosphere for not adding a winking devil troll to the end of a sentence. Why? Because written text is impersonal and lacks the social cues that would smooth over spoken word.
I call bullshit on that.
Emoticons exist because the first FIDOnet users were geeks, not communicators. To be honest, I'm a bit surprised they could parse the heavy atmosphere of autism to even see the need for better stating static emotion.
This was funny! :) I ironically called you a dipshit! ;) You make me sad. :( Wh-what? :O I'm pissed. >:| I like boobs. (o)(o) Have a flower! @-/--
I hate emoticons because the mock me. They make me realize that I am not talented enough to convey a written thought without an understood human response. In other words, emoticons make me write less effectively.
They are a crutch.
It's so much easier to write "You are an unmitigated whore ;)", than to try to turn a phrase that conveys the same message.
Damn you, emoticon. You had makes I stupider.
(o)(o)
Shake it like a polaroid picture.
posted by KOM @ 11:24:00 PM
13 Comments
13 Comments:
Squishi flashes at you ( * )( * ) and then wiggles her bum a bit in your face
(_/_) (_\_) (_/_) (_\_) (_/_) (_\_)
Shake it, shake it! Do the cha cha
I'm with you - emoticons suck. I hate them even more because I can't do them.
>//}: See?
I am become agreeing with you!
LOL
I also loathe the little bastards! :)
Yet,I find that I am FORCED to use crap like "LOL" to show that I laughed and ":)" to show that I meant um....that I'm smiley like.
Emoticons are like feet.
I dont like them, but I find I NEED them for certain things.
Ha ha (Now I am smiling and in a pleasant mood)
Three Letter Acronyms (oh, you mean TLA's ?) suck, too. They aren't even acronyms. 'Laser' is an acronym. 'LOL' is a cry for help.
And don't even get me started about the weird hacker-script most adolescents seem to use. Might magazine thought they were joking in the '90's when they said, "In the future, all fonts will be dumb. LiKe tHIs."
Those guys just always got there first.
I hate 'em too. Except for this one:
( )!( )
Oh yeah, and this one:
8=========O - - - -
...And ASCII nudes, but that's different.
heh that l33t crap - i call it "wanker speak". Some of my workmates use it, and i often write back emails asking for a translation.
As for TLA's, well, they come in handy when you need to LOL and OMG and ROLF (hehe don't ask).
I blame the advent of SMS for a lot of it too, who can write a novel in 128 characters or less?
But you see, emoticons are necessary. Most of conversation is in body language, intonation and facial expression which- obviously- are lost in the written word. But emoticons have a time and a place. I use them when I'm in a forum that's more like a conversation (although it's become habit, so I think I add them unawares), and more so if I'm 'speaking' to someone who has never spoken to me in person. You might say that using any type of intensifier (underline, bold, italics) are a crutch as well, as they change the way the reader intreprets what you're writing.
That being said- I think you do a fine job of expressing emotion here. (And just so you know, I'm fighting the urge to add a smiley face there, because if I were even telling you this over the phone, I'd be adding a friendly and reassuring grin.)
At least yr blg isn't rit in txt spk, now that I do loathe.
Emoticons are a crutch, but I often find that they are necessary. If I take all the time and trouble to express myself verbally in a way that can successfully convey the emotion I am feeling, the person I am writing to (and I am speaking strictly of business email here) quite simply is probably not smart enough to interpret it. So... I put in a little :) and I can be sure that no one is going to deliberatly misinterpret my words and get all pissed.
99% of the time, I only use them in email.
L33t is not spoken here.
PSUMommy - I'm not jedging other people who use emoticons - any more than I judge myself. You are correct, in that some form of social nuance is lost when not speaking in person (even over the phone a tone can often be affected that is lost in text).
But what if Rhett Butler was written to say "Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn >:/ "?
I don't pretend that this is literature, but it's frustrating to be forced to rely on these little faces when context and better writing could bridge the gap more elegantly.
BTW, I gesture with my hands and make facial expressions on the phone as well. It can't be helped.
I agree that emoticons don't have a place in literature. I still argue that they're necessary in any type of 'conversation', though- through a messaging service or in a forum or board.
You don't have to use them- if someone doesn't get your meaning, tough for them!
And I use my hands & face in phone conversations, too.
There's one acronym I could never figure out - I can't remember which one now! Also, I could never figure out what MEME stood for? I guess that makes two I don't know! I am very slow to jump on the emoticon bandwagon. I usually don't worry about what tone my words will be taken in until I've already sent it off, and it is far, far too late!
I too gesture and make facial expressions when I'm on the phone, but I'm the kind of dramatic loser who imitates other people's voices when I'm re-telling a story. Poorly done imitations, I might add.
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