It's 1:27 am, and in spite of taking a sleeping pill, I can't sleep and I'm feeling too drugged to read Bourdieu anymore. And I don't want to talk, so I'm not calling any of my friends or family in India. And weird things are popping in my mind...and so I thought.....heck...let me just get this out. Long live the Internet.
Did the above paragraph sound dry to you? Perhaps I should put in one of the emoticons?
My definition of theEmoticon: little handy useful things that have replaced use of punctuation nowadays and serve as a saving grace for our cynic and jealous selves.
I use abundant emoticons myself, so don't think I'm mad at someone and taking this one out and can't sleep for the reason!
Will my reasons translate as the general reasons of using emoticons? Nah...but perhaps people can agree with me or disagree and this way I'll get to glimpse more.
**I almost felt like using one in the end of the last sentence....the winking one. This one: ;) **
So why do I use emoticon? Following are the reasons: (applied not exclusively but rather overlappingly)
1. To show emotions (manifest reason)
2. To graphically show my emotion. (to show that I'm internet savvy and internet literate)
3. To take away, whatever doubt the reader might have of my dark side. This reason applies when I'm using the general smiley thing. This one: :-) or :) I've a feeling that oftentimes this is used when a person leasts feels the feeling. This is just a mask. Those kind: don't get me wrong...but I feel you are a shit, and I still care for you/love you.
4. In absence of my voice, and in risk of being misunderstood, the emoticon comes as a darling, saving grace. Especially the laughing one. (**Hey...this is just in good faith! Don't get me wrong!)** This is the slot where the " :D" and the ":P" falls on. **
I hate seeing and using LOL, and believe all those who use LOLs are shitheads; for people are not really lolling when they apprently mean to LOL and write LOL, but are actually covering up for saying /being something nasty, or taking cover after reflecting meaningless humour. Usually LOL comes after some meaningless dots.
5. Emoticons save typing time and lack in writing skills.
What are your reasons?
3 comments:
First of all, I must say that I absolutely enjoyed reading your blog. I wandered onto this while looking for a way to procrastinate (despite teling myself that I would not do so) and while I especially liked your ethnography of international students, and the blog on canadian policies re:immigrants left me speechless, I didnt really have any comments. But with emoticons, I guess I have something semi-interesting to say.
I do disagree with you to some extent. I have noticed that when I see the :), call this a lack of critical thinking on my part if you will, but I tend to respond with a smile. I mean, if someone sends a ":)" unless I am in a bad mood, my facial muscles actually change their configuration. I admit that sometimes I send a similar smiley as a way to spread this cheer, although dont ask me how effective it is. I have no idea.
I also see the smiley as a way of showing and seeing someone's facial expression (although, as you point out, it is much more what either party wants to convey as their expression and not necessarily what they are actually feeling)in the absence of an actual face. Thus, just as if in passing someone smiles at me, I tend to smile back (and often it isn't just me forcing the muslces for the sake of social acceptability)when someone sends a :) in an instant message, I tend to send a :) back. For me its the understanding that "you want me to think that you are smiling, I choose to belive that this is indeed the case, and I smile back". And more often than not, I am indeed actually smiling too.
Emoticons are indeed a replacement for something, but I dont think its merely to save time or make up for the failure of words. Its to make up for the deficiencies (?) in the system of communicating and having conversations through written words, when you cant see the face of the other person(or listen to their tone or observe their body language either, but thats a whole new can of worms), where you have to puzzle out their attitude through the words. In such a situation, a :P signyfying that you are only joking, is invaluable. (tangential note- I wonder how people's use of emoticons change when they are using webcams)
Thanks again for taking the time and effort to write so many excellent posts/blogs (I'm not really proficient with this terminology). And I apologize for such a long-winded response.
Very, very interesting Comment, Tista! Made me think of those other somethings which sometimes I choose to overlook.
And a this one for you-- :-)
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