Text Emoticons :-)

Summary

Not to be confused with Emojis, text emoticons have been around since 1982, and according to their creator, Scott Fahlman, they are used to indicate joking or lack thereof. To find out more about the history of the emoticon, view this Wall Street Journal article about when it was created. Other faces eventually arose due to the popularity of textual online communications, such as:

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Texting Uses

Text emoticons can be used to show emotion, flirt, cause the reader to read in between the lines, and to add secret entendres to messages. Generally, the scale is as follows:

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Many varieties of emoticons can be used when texting, and are most useful when users are limited to just plain text chat that does not enable photos or voice messages. A more comprehensive list of emoticons and their meanings can be found here.

Context

Text emoticons are generally used by older people who are not good at texting, people who do not have Emoji-enabled smartphones, or people who use them ironically to refer back to the days before Emojis existed. Here is a breakdown of some of the most popular text emoticons.

The smiley face is used to show happiness, and when used by a boy talking to a girl or vice versa, indicates an interest in the other person. The smiley face can also be used to show one’s empathetic happiness towards another.

The winky face is generally used for flirting, and can be used to denote a double entendre for a more flirtatious or sexual meaning. When used between a boy and a girl, the winky face shows that the sender has sexual interest in another, or is hinting towards something. Sometimes, older people or people who do not know how to text properly will use this face by accident or for a different meaning such as hinting towards a joke. The flirtatiousness of the winky face is ONLY indicated when talking to someone who has previously been affectionate towards you or expressed interest towards you.