Instant Message Smileys

Instant message smileys are one of the most unforeseen yet incredibly prevalent aspects of the digital age. In a world that has been using the written word for millennia, it is astonishing that only in the last decade of digital communication has the combination of a colon and right parentheses gained the status of an expression.

Instant message smileys (also known as emoticons) are also used in text messaging via phone. The reason for their popularity is simple – unlike abbreviations, instant message smileys change the written word into images, and as the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. Instead of taking the time to write "I am very sad," the simple picture :) can be substituted. Two characters have replaced a wealth of other information – simple, easy, and quick.

Many chat clients such as Yahoo Messenger and AOL Instant Messenger have also built into their applications graphics that will appear when the user types in emoticons. These graphics get extremely complex, even animated, but they have not quite caught on to the extent that the simple ☺ has. Perhaps because it's hard to remember that ~X( will show a little cartoon yellow face pulling its hair out. For people really interested in this method of expression, though, there are complete smiley guides on the internet.

When trying to create a taxonomy of emoticons, the easiest method is to go with the categories of emotions that the instant message smileys are designed to convey. The best emoticons are the ones that intuitively trigger the image going along with the emotion – the smile, the frown, the pursed lips, the widened eyes. The more complex an emoticon gets, the less effective it is, because the image becomes diluted.

The easiest way to indicate anger in an emoticon is through the addition of eyebrows: >:-( or, to show something even more intense, eyes squinched shut and mouth shouting: X-O. Also making the eyes "long" using the = sign can imply anger or sadness, such as =(. Other common combinations are

:-@ screaming

 :-0 shouting

}☹ furrowed brow

:-/ smirk

:-P nyahhhh!

:,-( crying

One variation that changes based on the person or the program is the inclusion of a dash to represent the nose on the face. It's a fine line to decide whether to include it or not. On some applications this character is essential to make the characters actually look like a face, whereas in others it is simply another keystroke that can even detract from the overall look.

Another aspect of instant message smileys is the indication of other facial characteristics – for example, the comma representing the tear in the last emoticon above. Other uses have been the number 8 to represent glasses (as well as a capital B) or the curled brackets to represent moustache and a beard. So, for example, an emoticon representing someone wearing sunglasses with facial hair and frowning would look like this: B-{(}.

The easiest and quickest happy emoticon was also probably the first: ☺. All of the techniques for changing the expressions of various facial features apply. For example, to show someone unbearably happy, you could squinch the eyes with an X and add a smile: X-) or even add a tear to show a cry of joy, opening the mouth by using a D: X'-D. Other common techniques is using a semi-colon for winks ;-) and the letter P to indicate a stuck-out tongue: :-P.

Another aspect of instant message smileys is the indication of other facial characteristics – for example, the comma representing the tear in the last emoticon above. Other uses have been the number 8 to represent glasses (as well as a capital B) or the curled brackets to represent moustache and a beard. So, for example, an emoticon representing someone wearing sunglasses with facial hair and frowning would look like this: B-{(}.

Ranging from the cute to the inexplicable, instant message smileys are ever-evolving. As long as both sides of a conversation understand them, though, they remain an efficient way to express emotion.

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