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 :)

visual icons for interactivity

My co-worker, Aaron Straup Cope, reminded me about the work of Timo Arnall today. Arnall's work on graphic language for touch resonated and inspired me to sketch out some graphic language ideas of my own.

Talking / Connecting

Let's see if I can keep it up.