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> Either I'm too old or I don't get how to use Emojis It depends on "where" in the internet you were socialized. Filling posts with small icons was popular si
by vog 9y ago
> Either I'm too old or I don't get how to use Emojis
It depends on "where" in the internet you were socialized.
Filling posts with small icons was popular since the very beginning of web forums and (propietary) instant messangers. They were not just used for expressing emotions, but also had decorative use, or sometimes were used to replace whole words.
In short, they were used simply because they were there, and looked funny. Just a creative use of what's offered.
And as far as I can see, this hasn't changed much till today.
It's just that most of these icons are now standardized so they work across multiple applications without having to transfer extra PNG files everytime an icon is used.
- metafunctor 9y agoUntil the late 90s, we lived on IRC, newsgroups, and email lists. Just plain text, probably with monospace fonts as well. The web and instant messaging caught on later. I, too, think most emoji are just a picture, and I don't get what feeling or message most of them are supposed to convey. Certainly I don't find them useful to replace a word I can type in 0.4 seconds. Is it really useful to include a picture of a basketball on a message already obviously about basketball? Still, I try to get on with the times and sprinkle them in my WhatsApp messages sometimes.