Emoticons!

For many people, especially in western cultures, emoticons are silly and thoughtless aspects of cyber-culture. In my research, however, I found that emoticons have developed throughout history and can play a significant role in how we relate to each other in a world of computer-mediated communication (CMC).

Nowadays CMC is vital in the developed world and its importance is quickly growing in developing nations. CMC helps us maintain our relationships both personal and professional; I keep up with friends near and far through email and Facebook. I text message my classmates. I email my clients and professors. I interview over video chat. Regardless of the medium, emotion and its interpretation plays a sizable role in our ability to communicate via computer.

Here is a fun info-graphic I created to decode emoticons :)