How do you perceive emoticons?

[Nemu]

I like them, generally, cos I perceive it to mean that the person typing is, basically, relaxed.
I don't subscribe to the whole "only girls use emoticons" BS cos I know a LOT of guys who use them.

Only one I don't get is this one -> :L

Thank you!

Everyone uses that now and tells me it's a laughing face. Seriously? How many people laugh with half their mouth dangling down and the other half straight. Emoticons are meant to be faces, that's the whole damn point! -descends into incomprehensible ranting gibberish-

My point exactly! Thank You! And I particularly agree with the whole 'Emoticons are meant to be faces, that's the whole damn point!'.

Understand that different emoticons are used in different places to mean, well, the same thing. It's all in the coding--and it can REALLY vary from the age of the user in question. An "early adopter" of the emoticon culture could be using the faces they learned to use on old chat servers/IM services that have long been outdated or closed, etc. Plus there are sometimes country/language/culture differences-- is a smile to some whereas ^_^ is a smile to others.

 

[Jonluw]

So the TV channel Disney XD confuses me.

Exactly!

 

[The Maddest March Hare]

Only one I don't get is this one -> :L

Thank you!

Everyone uses that now and tells me it's a laughing face. Seriously? How many people laugh with half their mouth dangling down and the other half straight. Emoticons are meant to be faces, that's the whole damn point! -descends into incomprehensible ranting gibberish-

My point exactly! Thank You! And I particularly agree with the whole 'Emoticons are meant to be faces, that's the whole damn point!'.

I had an explanation from someone that it is :L because of L in LOL or LMAO. I asked them why a smiling face isn't :S or a grinning face as :G. They said "because it looks nothing like a smile!". Apparently, the irony of that statement was lost on them.

 

[Riobux]

I usually refrain from using emotions in my posts, but in MSN chats with some people I use random things like D: , : D, : ) and : (.

 

[Miumaru]

A forum i used to be active on had :L translate into a drooling smiley, so that's what I usually assume it is. Usually I just translate all emoticons into two things. "I'm annoying" and/or "I'm being sarcastic and want to make sure you understand that"

The latter is why I use them here. Otherwise I try not to. On other stuff I use them excessively.

 

[SomethingUnrelated]

I had an explanation from someone that it is :L because of L in LOL or LMAO. I asked them why a smiling face isn't :S or a grinning face as :G. They said "because it looks nothing like a smile!". Apparently, the irony of that statement was lost on them.

XD Ahhh, that made me laugh. Nicely done!

Understand that different emoticons are used in different places to mean, well, the same thing. It's all in the coding--and it can REALLY vary from the age of the user in question. An "early adopter" of the emoticon culture could be using the faces they learned to use on old chat servers/IM services that have long been outdated or closed, etc. Plus there are sometimes country/language/culture differences-- is a smile to some whereas ^_^ is a smile to others.

Yes, but those two examples you gave are both understandable as smiles to most people. I find that the ':L', unlike most emoticons, looks little like the emotion it is supposed to represent.

 

[Marter]

After talking with some people who use emoticons quote often, I no longer see them as letters/symbols, but the faces they are trying to look like,

 

[Lazarus Long]

I've always seen them as shorthand. When I see or ;>, for example, I read them as "What I have just typed is not to be taken seriously."
I think :L is meant to be "I've just had a stroke, please excuse any typing errors."

 

[Paul]

Personally, I talk to a lot of people who use tons of emoticons in their text. And after a while it makes emoticons extremely easy to recognise for what they are. I don't really get :L though, but I'm fairly sure it's a laughing face or something. My most used emoticon is probably :3, though. Nobody gets that one :/

 

[Ambi]

I unintentionally offended someone deeply because they misinterpreted what I meant by XD once. They thought it was sarcastic mocking, but I meant it on more of a "XD that's cute" way.

usually means "I want this to message to sound nice but don't know what else to say" thing.

means "all the cool kids do their smiley faces this way now, I am keeping up with the times." Well, I don't know, but it automatically comes to mind.

this generally means "you're awesome."

>__< see like that. I'm not sure anymore. I read somewhere it was a constipated face which made me hesitant to use it, or a frustrated face which makes sense, but I don't want to look angry when I use it.

this means I am disappointed

:L I was initially confused, then I saw a face with its jaw jutting out. It's still kind of confusing.

or 0_o means "wtf, weird.."

=.= narrowed eyes. "I am challenging you.", "I am suspicious", or "hmmm? What's that?"

:3 seems to mean something cute or slightly mischievous.

._. for me, the equivalent of me looking at my shoes in an IRL conversation. Indifferent but bashful and maybe slightly disappointed.

-_- Slightly annoyed face.

 

[Mr.Petey]

I don't mind the ex dee emote once in a while in a genuine happy/amused exclamation but if used as frequent as most people'll use a comma or full stop then it just borders on infuriating really. There's just something I can't stand about the sight of it over and over.

But I'll use the ^^/^_^ now and again and I agree that the kitty smile :3 is alright. So I've no real beef about them other than that. Used sparingly now and again to expression genuine emotion/s, then they're sweet. Else...it just can be used as a substitute for people's end of the conversation as I've met many who'll just use a smile or other as a response on it's own.

 

[Jonluw]

I don't mind the ex dee emote once in a while in a genuine happy/amused exclamation but if used as frequent as most people'll use a comma or full stop then it just borders on infuriating really. There's just something I can't stand about the sight of it over and over.

But I'll use the ^^/^_^ now and again and I agree that the kitty smile :3 is alright. So I've no real beef about them other than that. Used sparingly now and again to expression genuine emotion/s, then they're sweet. Else...it just can be used as a substitute for people's end of the conversation as I've met many who'll just use a smile or other as a response on it's own.

Oh, come on. Typing only ":3" can be an acceptable response if someone asks you for example "why did you take the last of the cookies?". Don't you agree?

 

[SpecklePattern]

Well, they're supposed to look like facial expressions. So I link it with the facial expression I can most easily recognise it as. Only one I don't get is this one -> :L

What on earth is that :L? ... Rocky lips? [http://www.sportcartoons.co.uk/caricatures/rocky.gif]

Any ways. I also interpret them as they are. Written facial expressions. And if I need to read them, I don't. Meaning that I will not read "blah blah blah smiley face", I just don't read them in text... Not that I read much anyway.

 

[SomethingUnrelated]

Well, they're supposed to look like facial expressions. So I link it with the facial expression I can most easily recognise it as. Only one I don't get is this one -> :L

What on earth is that :L? ... Rocky lips? [http://www.sportcartoons.co.uk/caricatures/rocky.gif]

Any ways. I also interpret them as they are. Written facial expressions. And if I need to read them, I don't. Meaning that I will not read "blah blah blah smiley face", I just don't read them in text... Not that I read much anyway.

XD Ohh, that 'Rocky Lips' made me laugh...

I don't know. Some bright spark out there says it's a laughing face.

 

[Denamic]

I don't mind them at all if they're used in moderation and when they make sense.

I can't stand them when they're used as punctuation for every sentence and when the emoticon itself makes no sense in the context.
I also can't stand "xD".
I've become allergic to it.

 

[GundamSentinel]

Yeah, I usually read emoticons as such immediately. I tend to use them very often as well. I love ^^; and

 

[Kukakkau]

I tend to get what they are pretty much right away and use them when texting extra since it saves me space from having to put "funny" or "happy"...plus my phone has emoticon shortcuts

 

[Mr.Petey]

I don't mind the ex dee emote once in a while in a genuine happy/amused exclamation but if used as frequent as most people'll use a comma or full stop then it just borders on infuriating really. There's just something I can't stand about the sight of it over and over.

But I'll use the ^^/^_^ now and again and I agree that the kitty smile :3 is alright. So I've no real beef about them other than that. Used sparingly now and again to expression genuine emotion/s, then they're sweet. Else...it just can be used as a substitute for people's end of the conversation as I've met many who'll just use a smile or other as a response on it's own.

Oh, come on. Typing only ":3" can be an acceptable response if someone asks you for example "why did you take the last of the cookies?". Don't you agree?

Hehe yeah exactly! That is a very cute use of the kitty smile emote which I've always been fond of somehow

 

[ParkourMcGhee]

and i still don't get :L unless theres a special font it's supposed to be done in

I think it looks like a disappointed face.

I think it looks like a guy frozen... you know the little -ah. When confronted with something too big to react to.

I get most emoticons, although I always seem to come across new ones like the one you guys just mentioned or the Korean OTL

 

[Deadlock Radium]

and i still don't get :L unless theres a special font it's supposed to be done in

I think it looks like a disappointed face.

Around here it is a laughing face, bizarre as it might be.

I recognise most emoticons, but I only use , , , =) and =D myself.
EDIT: Oh, and too.