Original article: http://www.salon.com/life/feature/story/index.html?story=/mwt/feature/2009/11/30/death_to_smiley hurrr
Oh God, I doubt most people here could completely follow this, myself included... but we can try, damn it.
Hahaha, oh hell, that's bloody brilliant. Loved every second of it. Of course, I pepper my more casual conversations with faces. It makes everything feel more alive, like you're speaking in person. Inference is overrated; not everyone will get the hint if there's not some kind of visual cue. It's not a matter of being stupid or ignorant; some people are just better with visuals. Good example: I always used to think one of my friends was really abrasive, as she liked to curse at me for the slightest remarks; then I had her on webcam once, and I realized she was usually smiling when she did. There's also the fact that facial expressions eliminate awkwardness of speech in some cases. "I'm blushing, stop saying that" doesn't have quite the same realism or impact as ">///> Shut up." Of course, when speaking formally, it's hardly worth it. And I do hate the image smileys. They all look ugly.
