The word "emoticon" quite literally derives from "emotion icon". These small pieces of art are a form of expression for our emotions, feelings or an idea all within a picture. Emoticons, or "emotes" or "smiles" as they are often referred to, are a special type of pixel art, whereby an individual can express themselves without the need for words. A picture tells us a thousand words and that is exactly what an emoticon is designed for.

Scott E. Fahlman claims to be the inventor of the first sideways smiley face. Evidence suggests the first ever ":-)" was used on the 19th of September 1982 in a university forum. The original post was as follows:

19-Sep-82 11:44 Scott E Fahlman :-)
From: Scott E Fahlman <Fahlman at Cmu-20c>
I propose that the following character sequence for joke markers:

:-)

Read it sideways. Actually, it is probably more economical to mark things that are NOT jokes, given current trends. For this, use:

:-(

As man evolved from caves to buildings, emoticons evolved from these basic symbols into complex creations of art. Over time they have developed from the expression of a basic emotion into one of the most diverse forms of art on the Internet. Today, an emoticon to show your feelings, express your emotions or convey an action can easily be found, usually in the colour and style of your choice.

These days, emoticons come in two varieties. Firstly, you have the more common emoticon, whereby a feeling is expressed, some of which are animated to even more so engage the reader. However, technology has allowed us to move into a second category, the longer, movie type emoticon, where a large number of feelings or a long action can be expressed.

Everyone uses emoticons, whether it be in a forum, chatroom, messenger or email and they will continue to develop on a daily basis. Every day hundreds of emoticons are created, specifically for a certain feeling or expression. In fact, it is believed that there are well over one million emoticons all over the Internet. With a quick search, you will certainly find an emoticon to express how you're feeling right now!

So next time you decide to use or in a post, perhaps stop and think about how much work goes into this form of art. Better yet, consider browsing through our very own Emoticons Galley and gain an insight into the talent that lies here on deviantART. And don't forget to thank some of deviantART's most influential emoticonists who significantly contributed to our Emoticon Legend such as `hprince329 and `monaux.

=zacthetoad