Much as the caveman must have pondered life before fire or the Victorians wondered how folk managed before the invention of electricity, one question has vexed me above all others as I continue my blogging journey. We have sent people to the Moon, plumbed the deepest depths of the oceans and scaled the highest peaks on land but above all those astounding achievements one stands head and shoulders above the rest.
The creation of the emoji….
Now I say head and shoulders but of course your common garden emoji does not possess shoulders. Nor do they require them for their disembodied little solar faces alone are more than capable of expressing every emotion ever experienced. Euphoric joy, heart wrenching sadness and the one where you just feel a bit meh. The emoji has it all. And don’t get me started on it’s evil hybrid cousin, the bitmoji. For that’s an entire blog series in itself.
Imagine how much easier life would have been if our little yellow friends had always been around. Life would have been so much simpler and more colourful. We wouldn’t have had to plough through dreary documents like the Magna Carta, Declaration of Independence or Treaty of Versailles. It could all have been amicably resolved via a group WhatsApp chat and a few 😊, 🧐 and 🤪.
Emojis are the writing equivalent of crack cocaine. Much as you recognise the vapid, existential nihilism of them you find your thumb gravitating towards the emoji button. The blissful quick hit of that smiley face replaced seconds later by the overwhelming guilt and shame all us aspiring authors feel when we resort to such literary laziness. Yet before we know it we are chasing the emoji dragon again. I’m sure if there isn’t an emoji dragon then some bright spark will invent one soon.
I must admit I have a love/hate relationship with the emoji as I suspect most of us do. Along with the ‘lol’ and ‘smh’ culture that has assailed us in recent times, the emoji is effectively slaughtering the written word. Punctuation and grammar have been sacrificed at the altar of convenience. The full stop is no more and as for the semi colon? It passed away some time ago but nobody could be bothered to pen its obituary.
In today’s ‘fast food’ society we don’t have time to craft words into sentences and paragraphs. We hammer out messages on our keyboards at the speed of light. No time to talk, write or, for that matter, think. Eloquence has been replaced by expediency. Thoughts and feelings can be hidden behind a little smiley or sad face. It is laughing inanely all the way to our graves. We don’t want relationships. We crave followers, likes and retweets. And sooner rather than later.
It’s a stampede, a bloodbath and if you don’t keep up then don’t expect any sympathy from the rest of us. Birthday and Christmas cards are a dying breed. When was the last time you wrote a letter? With paper and a pen? You know a pen?? Even e-mails are sooooooo last year. Why do we even bother with books? Big, ugly cumbersome monstrosities that they are. All that time it takes to read them when we could be spending our oh so valuable time taking selfies or snap chatting our new BFF in Japan who we’ve never actually met. Or for that matter spoken to.
Words used to be doorways to magical worlds and kingdoms. Now they are barriers. There are easier, quicker ways to communicate. Communicate the way we want to. Superficially without style or substance. I don’t want you to know the real me for I’m terrified you will be disappointed at what you discover. I want you to meet the new, improved me. Death to creative, intelligent thought. For a new age has dawned. The Age of the Emoji ☹️
How do you communicate? Text, E-Mail, Group Chat?
How much do emojis and abbreviation rule your life?
When was the last time you wrote a letter?
Oh no they better not get rid of books. I love to hold one and the smell of a book. Lol weird, yes! But I’m sure you know what I mean. I use emojis a lot in text conversations. Heck we use them when we respond to blog comments.
But I still enjoy a deep conversation. I still accept a nice card, come to think of it I haven’t gotten a letter, an actual thought out letter. 🤔 interesting! Unless it’s a bill, lol! Great post!
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Thank you Tiffany. We should become penpals.
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Sure ☺️
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I believe you were making a joke, but in truth I never had a pen pal.
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I’m actually thinking of posting a blog encouraging people to write a letter to their favourite bloggers. Thoughts?
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Interesting! You know I’d love to do it! Let’s make stationary trendy again, 😂
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That is a terrific idea! Who would I write to, though… 😜
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Er……us!!!
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No kidding, dude! That would be so cool.
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I write letters by hand & send out cards all the time. I refuse to let the art form die.
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That’s great to hear. I can’t remember the last time I received a handwritten letter. It just is such a more thoughtful, caring way of communication.
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I also do since my printer doesn’t work anymore (… 😂)
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Great point, 👍🏼
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Your timing on this couldn’t be better. Years ago, when I first became I father, I was introduced to a book called “Letters from Dad”. The book encourages taking the time to write letters to your children that they’ll someday cherish. You can give them the letters now, or you can save them for the children to someday discover. I’d been thinking about how overdue I am to write some. I think I will write today!
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Thus, Stephen penned The Obituary of The Written Word.
In consolation, a friend once told me in text that she’d “laughed audibly.” When I teasingly asked about her phrasing, she said she’d never text “LOL.” I feel the same way.
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What’s an emoji button? I’m a desktop dinosaur. It’s keys for me! ;^/
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I’ve thought about writing a children’s book about this very topic…
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That sounds interesting. Do I get a cut of the profits?
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Sorry, I’ve had the idea for years. But I can dedicate it to you!😁
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I will let you off with that one. And a signed copy please 😊
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I confess… I am guilty…
( 😜😂)
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You are forgiven 😉
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I will come to the defense of the humble emoji. So much of today’s writing is in a texting/emailing culture that tries to take the place of the old fashioned conversation. Facial expressions and voice inflections that provide so much context are lost. It is into that void that the little emoji has rushed.
Without the emoji you would have no idea whether my call for a worldwide emoji celebration day is in earnest or in jest or with a healthy dose of sarcasm. So is it 😁 or is it 😡 (or maybe 🤯)? Let’s just go with 😇.
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i really enjoy your writing, Friend!
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Hmm, this was some interesting food for thought. I love the way emojis allow us to express emotion. I think it makes our written conversations more human. But I agree that it has also made it easier for conversations to be superficial and, let’s be honest, lazy. I’m still team emoji, though. My life would not be the same without 😭, 👏, and 💩.
The last time I received a hand-written letter was a few years ago, when, a former friend and I decided to be snail mail pen pals while we went to different universities. Opening a letter is way better high than an emoji!
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Who knows…maybe soon all books will be written in emojis 🙂 😂
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🤔😃🙏🏻👍🏻
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I would love it if I had someone to write letters to. I used to do it when I was younger with some friends that had moved away, and while it was agony to wait for their response, I would definitely enjoy doing it again.
Also, I love the smell and feel of a real book too much, so they better not get rid of them.
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My grandmother and I used to write letters to each other before she became too feeble to continue.
In the beginning of our married life, my husband and I would write each other little love letters. He would write one to me before leaving for work and place it on his pillow for me to find when I arose….unfortunately with kids, both of us working and other life’s chaos the letters have quickly faded. I miss them.
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I’m considering posting a blog, given the interest this one has generated, challenging people to write a letter to their favourite bloggers. Thoughts?
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I feel we should bring back the art of writing. In my line of work I meet young adults that are a year or two out of high school and maybe half even know how to write legibly.
I would much rather sit and write with pen and paper than send an electronic message.
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I just wrote a letter with an ink pen last night. The highlight of every day except Sunday is when the mail comes. Back when I was in highschool a marching band from South Africa stayed 2 weeks at our school and the following summer we spent three weeks there. It took three weeks to get a letter back then and nothing was more exciting. I find myself still sending hand written notes to people. There is something magical about them. Fun fact a guy I was friends with in high school told me I should have been born in the Victorian age as I was too old fashioned! Nice compliment and it’s a badge of honor.
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That’s a lovely thing to say. Yes I remember too the nervous excitement as well of waiting for letters from penpals. Great reply. Thank you.
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I so need to hear a voice, Im a christmas card, letter writing, holding a book kind of girl… So determined to stand up for ‘old fashioned communication’. but its not an easy task.
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I’ll send you a Christmas card this year 🙂
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You may be the only one😊they seem to be getting less each year but i will continue with the tradition.
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That’s true. Good for you though for keeping it alive.
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My sister, who happens to be 17 yrs younger, had this idea to translate the Bible into emojis. I wasnt a fan. To this day I still only know a few emojis. I would need to hire my sister as a translator..😄
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Your sister could be onto something there. Although Deuteronomy could be a challenge 🤔
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Agreed!
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I agree that emojis are lazy, but I do find them helpful when what I am typing could be taken multiple ways. I still do handwritten thank you’s and the occasional letter. I used to write letters all the time to my Nana, but then I got an email address 😀
I miss the anticipation, but it is easier to email/text/etc. It’d be fun to take up again with someone, though!
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You are partially responsible for getting me addicted to emojis in the first place 😆😂🤪
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Aw, I’m sorry ☺😊😀😁😂😃😄😅😆😇😈😉😯😐😑😕😠😬😡😢😴😮😣😤😥😦😧😨😩😰😟😱😲😳😵😶😷😞😒😍😛😜😝😋😗😙😘😚😎😭😌😖😔😪😏😓😫
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I text and use messenger some – letters and the odd postcard go out about one a week. It bewilders my letter carrier, so that alone is worth it.
Emojis – not so much. Gifs? No we’re talkung serious fun. Who doesn’t love an attack squirrel?
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Yeah. When squirrels go bad 😳
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Everything in moderation works for so many things emoji’s and words included.
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That’s a fair point. Thank you.
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What is a letter? Of course I write letters to spell out my thoughts! 😂😂😂😂😂😂
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Hats off to you 🙂
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I am a hand lettering lover. I taught myself how to brush letter. It’s like watercolor writing but they sell special pens. And I got good enough to be creative. Anyway, so I tend to write more letters because I love the art form. It’s a bit like calligraphy or Japanese ink writing but with watercolor pens. And it’s been fun sending off cards or thank yous. It’s always unexpected too.
My father in law, who is a writer himself, was disappointed when not one of his 6 children bothered to give him a card on father’s day. I realized how upset he was and sent him a belated card. My husband obviously isn’t keen on the card thing so I did it for him. My father in law said it brought a tear to his eye.
Speaking of emojis, did you hear about the woman who wanted an emoji of a winky face on her obituary??? I laughed at that one.
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You should display some of your work on your blog. I’d certainly like to see it. It’s great that people like you are keeping the art of letter writing alive 🙂
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Good idea. I actually saw a post from a year ago (a photo) that I might rewrite just to compare. I haven’t been practicing as much but I want to. Anyway good idea!
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I’m full of good ideas. Well I have several most years. Thank you Michelle 😊
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What’s a text?? Confession: I hate texting and WON’T do it (personal preference thing). Emojis!. Love ’em. 🙂
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😂🤪😆😉
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The very first use of the yellow smiley face that I can remember had to be at least 30 years ago, long before it made its screen debut. It was a round adhesive sticker that the “greeter” at Wal-Mart stores would give to children, or affix to merchandise that was being carried into the store to be returned at the customer service desk.
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I remember it from the Watchman graphic novel series.
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I love anything that doesn’t involve making a phone call🤫😀
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Ha! So I can ‘sign you up’ for the letter writing challenge then?
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Lol. Why not
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Ahhhhhh that is so true. We are the new emoji world. Id love to have been the inventor of that one. Last letter written? Probably not in 15/ 20 years. Thats sooo sad.
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I am irritated that I use them. In fact I’d go so far as to say that I dislike the fact that I use them. It’s partly laziness but also because as someone who is always rather worried that I might offend (people pleaser to the end), by putting on a winky or smiley face it hopefully ensures that the reader/recipient does not inadvertently take my words the wrong way.
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I wrote a letter last week, the dinosaur that I am. I send one to my grand nephew each month because my sister, his granny says he gets excited to get them. It started on his birthday 2 years ago with a card. I hate to say it but I prefer phone calls I mean really, I timed it. To have a 10 minute conversation takes an hour texting it. How does that save time? It’s my patience acting up again 🙂 That smile, and a wink 😉 which I still type out ; and ) (the dinosaur that I am) But some of these faces I have no idea what they mean. If I get anything other than a smile or wink, I type back something like, are you sick? constipated? have a headache? stuff like that hehehe. But anyone who knows me knows if it’s more than 3 text involved, you have to call me or the conversation is over.
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I get a bit anxious around phone calls. I keep them brief if I can. Glad to hear you are keeping the letter writing tradition alive.
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I agree about brief calls. Except my mom. That’s going to be a minimum hour conversation.
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I so agree with this. I still send birthday cards and thank you cards and little notes to friends. I am amazed when I see someone after I have sent a card…they act as if I had given them some great gift. Sad that we no longer take the time to actually remember someone’s birthday, take time to find just the right card and then mail it to them. Instead we just notice on FB that it’s their birthday and send “Happy birthday.” The only mail we get any more is “junk” mail. I can’t remember the last time I received a letter or a card, but I keep sending them out anyway hoping to brighten someone’s day.
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It is great to hear that there are people out there keeping the tradition alive. Thank you Barbara.
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Lol at the title 😂
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😆
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I for one don’t really like emojis I prefer gifs instead. Some of the emojis I don’t even understand.
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Yes. It’s like a foreign language that only teenagers understand.
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Brilliant! Witty and well written as always!
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Thank you 😊
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I loved this post! Sorry for the late comment in response, my email has been filled with amazing posts waiting to be read. If you have not already, check out the movie Fahrenheit 451. It’s a recent movie that shows a future world where all writing is banned because people quit reading/writing and began solely using technology to communicate. Government stepped in and “uploaded” all books, but the shortened and edited versions which even contained EMOJIS. It definitely was an eye opener to me. However, I use all forms of communicating. Talking, email, text message, tangible books, eReaders, telephone calls, FaceTime. I use them all! I like to have a variety of ways to communicate or learn so I often change it up depending on my mood.
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No need to apologise. Better late than never. The movie rings a bell but I haven’t seen it. I’ll be sure to check it out. Thank you 😊
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Texting does put the pressure off of some face-to-face interactions, but it can be hard since the emphasis of emotion has to come through written context. I have a habit of writing “lol” after written sentences if I actually do find it be something in a humorous context, while other times I include the “lol” because of that reason in addition to feeling terribly awkward about what I just wrote. I mostly use the smiley emoji or laughing (with tears) emoji. The last time I wrote a letter was some months ago to a penpal. My handwriting has gotten sloppier in the past years. Or maybe I’m too conscious of how I want it to look like since I don’t write by hand as often anymore. 😦
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