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www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, September 21, 2012 · 20 Emoticons keep electronic conversations from becoming mundane :) By Hazel Garde Grade 10, White Oaks S.S. oesn't the text with the emoticon have more expression? Of course -- that's what emoticons are for; to add that little extra something to an instant message, a text, or an e-mail. Along with many others, a colon and a bracket line to indicate a happy or sad face have gained enormous popularity on the Internet over the last few decades. Today, kids, teens, and adults D alike have embraced the fun concept of emoticons and now use them regularly in their everyday life. I consider myself a fairly creative individual and yes, I'm a typical teenager that enjoys texting my friends and going on Facebook. So, fun little faces make texting and instant messaging all the better. I believe that without emoticons to lighten the mood of the message or do the opposite, our conversations would just be mundane and without much meaning or emotion. The word "emoticon" comes from the term, "emotional icon." The general definition of an emoticon is an image representation of a facial expression, created with punctuation and letters, used to represent mood, in two characters instead of many. While they haven't been called emoticons forever, symbols and codes used to represent emotion through text have been present since the dawn of communication. Early examples include Morse code abbreviations to communicate in the 1850s and print publications in the early 1900s. It's generally accepted that it was Scott Fahlman, a university professor, who created the first emoticon in 1982 -- the common sideways smiley face used today. Fahlman proposed the sideways smiley at a regular staff conference, as a colon and a bracket, :) or :-), to represent happiness. Not long after, huge numbers of variations of these new symbols were created, to the joy of society, and used all over the Internet. Nowadays emoticons, such as :), :(, :P, and dozens of others are used absolutely everywhere, you just can't avoid them and everyday more are being created on the worldwide web. An emoticon is a little thing that affects society greatly and it's just another cool thing that makes us grateful for today's superb technology. Thank you, emoticons for making popular online communication even better. So when you send a message next, are you going to insert an emoticon? Turn Your Dreams into... ONE WEEK ONLY! Ends September 28 IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR LANDSCAPE SUPPLIES Reality LOOK NO FURTHER! THAN EXTENDED HOURS SEPTEMBER 24th & 25th Open until 8 pm All Dining Room Sets AP Industries, Amisco, Bermex, BG Furniture, Brentwood Classics, Buhler, College Woodwork, Dutalier, Future Chair, Huppe, Ideal, Jaymar, MI-DI, Vangogh, Vogel and more 20% OFF YARD SALE ONE WEEK ONLY MONDAY SEPTEMBER 24th to FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28th *See store for details. Does not include promo items. Now Proudly Carrying Thomasville & Stanley Furniture All Floor Models Drastically Reduced, Some Even Below Cost! MISSISSAUGA HOME & DESIGN CENTRE 2575 Dundas St. W., Mississauga (Between Winston Churchill & Erin Mills Pkwy) ON ALL IN STOCK LANDSCAPE MATERIAL (Between Guelph Line and Walkers Line) AMAZING DEALS Mainway Come visit us at 3191 MAINWAY, BURLINGTON Tel: 905-820-4111 · Fax: 905-820-4445 Guelph Line QEW Walkers Line www.sterlinghouse.ca 905 - 637-1010 Architecture. Interiors. Project. Management. www.SmithArchitect.com