4 ms·
I think it has something to do with the transition from skeuomorphic metaphor to iconographic symbol. As a skeuomorphism you might look at a magnifying glass s
by afandian 10y ago
I think it has something to do with the transition from skeuomorphic metaphor to iconographic symbol.
As a skeuomorphism you might look at a magnifying glass symbol and say "that looks like a magnifying glass, which is a tool for making things bigger, therefore this thing makes things bigger".
As that symbol beds in and becomes part of language, it loses its connection, and its meaning is derived entirely from context and usage. I haven't used any Microsoft software for a while, but from my memory the floppy disc icon outlived floppy disks by quite a while.
You can argue that words shouldn't mean different things to what their etymology suggests, but that's the losing battle of a language prescriptivist, not a practical language user. I'm saddened when I see people use "utilize" instead of "use", or "everyday" instead of "every day" or whatever, but everyone knows what they mean. Like it or not, language changes.
So the magnifying glass has lost its etymology to popular usage. That's my theory anyway.
- interfixus 10y agoAnd I think you are right. I am not really arguing for or against, just providing my own little anecdotal data point: That I haven't so far been able to internalize this particular piece of symbolism. The floppy disk icon I grasp immediately, even if it annoys me for its datedness.
- afandian 10y agoI don't think you don't have to internalize it necessarily. I'm going to continue to care about and use Standard English spelling and grammar, and it's ok to notice when someone uses something slightly off-standard, as long as it doesn't affect anyone else or interfere with good-faith conversation. I run a specialized search engine myself and I had no hesitation in using the icon, only because it's a well understood symbol.
- SkyMarshal 10y agoAny idea what a better search icon would be?
- afandian 10y agoBinoculars were used decades ago. Not sure if they're still used. Ditto a little funnel for filtering.
- fenwick67 10y agoDefinitely agree that binoculars are less conspicuous, the magnifying glass can also mean zoom. But, I think users are (for better or worse) used to the magnifying glass.
- vmarsy 10y agoI always thought the magnifying glass for search made sense as it was like a detective looking for clues. It is shown in the famous Cluedo board game [1] (aka "Clue" in the USA). It's typically associated with forensics when looking for fingerprints. [1] https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/61/Cluedo_1956_Small_Red_Box_Edition.jpg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/61/Cluedo_1956_S...