Emote with Emoticons: 8 Popularly used Emoticons and Emojis
The internet has been a source of fast communication for almost everybody around the world. With the help of emails, there is no longer a need to wait for a handwritten letter to be sent to and from business colleagues and loved ones. Then there is the chatbox. It allows users to talk to one another as if there is no distance between them. We can now easily communicate with friends and relatives who are far away in just a matter of seconds. But of course, nothing beats being physically present. Communicating face to face are usually more engaging, sincere and intimate; whereas, internet messages are just too bland, cold and straight-forward.
However, some people have created ways to express (true?) emotions or feelings in internet messages and emails through emoticons and emojis. Composed of letters or characters that would often closely resemble a face, emoticons and emojis have become so popular that it has been used almost everyday as part of communication through text messages, emails or chat replies.
These are 8 of the most popular emoticons or emojis on the internet:
SMILEY FACE
Considered as the emoticon of all emoticons, the smiley face is a straightforward emoticon that expresses happiness or joy in a single message. When you talk to your friend through a chat box without the use of a smiley face, there’s a big possibility that he/she might misintepret what you’re saying. Some may perceive the statement, “I had so much fun today” as sarcastic or ironic. With a smiley face at the end, you’ll be surprised how a simple emoticon can totally change the mood of your message.
SAD FACE
Similar to the smiley face, the sad face is the standard emoticon for anyone who wants to express sadness or gloominess in their messages. These emoticons add a lot of character in every message, and it’s very intesresting how emoticons change the tone and context of what we are saying on the chat box.
GRINNING FACE
The grin emoticon is the next level to the smiley face. If you are really happier than what the smiley face is projecting, you should use the grinning face in your messages. In fact, the grin is more popularly used than the smiley face in a poll conducted in June 2014 by EmojiTracker creator Matthew Rothenburg, as the grin ranked 14th while the smiley face ranked 54th.
THE HEART SYMBOL
The heart symbol could even be older than any of the other emoticons or emojis on this list, as it has been used even before the email was invented. Since it’s inception, the symbol had always signified love, and any romantic or intimate messages would already feel a lot more sweeter and expressive if a message contains this symbol.
THE OK HAND
The OK Hand is used to express approval as a reply to a message. It could also be used a a sign that you’re alright whenever somebody asks you if you are doing fine. Instead of typing “I’m okay” or “I agree to this”, you can just use this emoji to express your feelings without typing any words.
THE INFORMATION DESK PERSON
Like its name, the information desk person emoji is used to accompany messages that usually contains answers about questions regarding the location of places and landmarks in a city. Although that is its literal use, some people have found another meaning in using this simple-yet-peculiar emoji. Some would most likely used this to express a sarcastic shrug (which is what the emoji is doing if it is taken out of context) to symbolize the act of not caring or being disinterested in what the person you’re talking to is saying.
BIRTHDAY CAKE EMOJI
This emoji is usually used on birthdays and celebrations. If your friend who is far away from you is celebrating her birthday, you can send her this emoji to give her a “digital” birthday cake, since you won’t be able to give her one personally.
THE 100 POINTS EMOJI
The 100 Points Emojis has been used to express that the person should always be true to herself, be “100 percent” of what she is, and always keep it real, hence the term “keep it 100″. It could also connotate that someone should give it their all for any task. For example, when your friend is going to take an exam tomorrow, you can send her a “100 Points Emoji” to encourage her to give her best for the exam. ( Christian Abe Garcia)