A terrible thing is happening to the emoticons of the world. They are slowly being replaced by auto-inserted graphics. This tragic loss of free text emoticons has come on so slowly that many have not noticed. Some even applaud this travesty, dazzled by flashy colors that seem to magically appear, and inserting these impostors willy nilly from drop down menus. ;(
But what is being lost? And at what cost are we replacing the free creative expression of plain text emoticons? What once belonged to the hearts and minds of the people is now being handed over to automated systems, global corporations, overzealous programmers and misguided graphic artists. Is this who you want standing between you and your emotional freedom? $,$
The Society for Free Text Emoticons is saddened by every plain text expression that is transformed without consent. The society advocates for the creative and free use of plain text expressions. Although the society does not reject graphical expressions unilaterally, it does maintain a stalwart preference for the preservation and use of free text emoticons. o_o
:@ “Don’t abandon us.”
matthewlowes.com 