smileies

Smileys, also known as emoticons, are typographical or digital representations of facial expressions, often used in informal written communication to convey emotion or tone. They are created using punctuation marks, letters, and numbers, arranged to resemble a face. The most common smiley is the :-) or :) character combination, intended to represent a smiling face. Other variations include :( for sadness, ;) for a wink, and :D for extreme happiness.

The origins of smileys can be traced back to the early days of online communication, particularly in bulletin board systems (BBS) and Usenet. In 1982, Scott Fahlman at Carnegie Mellon University is credited with proposing the use of :-) and :-( to distinguish between serious and humorous posts in online discussions, helping to prevent misunderstandings.

Over time, smileys evolved from simple text-based characters to graphical icons known as emojis. Emojis are standardized characters that can be displayed on most digital devices and platforms, offering a much wider range of expressions, objects, and symbols. While emojis have largely superseded text-based smileys in many contexts, the fundamental concept of using visual cues to express emotion in digital communication remains. Smileys and emojis are now an integral part of online language, facilitating more nuanced and expressive interactions.