The Old Coot doesn’t get
it.
By Merlin Lessler
Emojis (those small
digital icons that express emotion) have taken over the English Language. When
I was growing up there were only a few symbols at my disposal - O’s and X’s,
placed at the end of a note or letter to express “hugs and kisses.” It’s all
that was needed. We used words for everything else.
Then, along came an
advertising genius with the heart symbol. It replaced the word, “Love” as in I
“heart” New York. Mostly a lie, but it stuck. Then came a few Emoticons, smiley
faces and the like created from punctuation marks on a standard keyboard. For
the most part, we communicated using words, not symbols.
In 1999 the Emoji was
invented, just as text messaging was just going mainstream. A marriage made in
heaven. As of the end of 2020, there were 3136 Emojis. That number is expected
to grow to 3353 by the end of 2021. My problem is, I can’t decipher their
meaning. I’m symbol understanding challenged, for the most past anyhow. And,
how can anyone need to express 3,000 or more emotions? I only come up with a handful
that are of use to me: happiness, anger,
disappointment, shock, sadness, guilt, puzzlement and the like. Puzzlement is one I use a lot, especially
when getting a text loaded with Emojis.
We will be back to Hieroglyphics
(the written language of ancient Egypt) if this trend keeps up. Apparently, that Egyptian form of writing was
even more confusing than today’s Emojis. The meaning of the picture symbols remained
a mystery for thousands of years. It was only dumb luck that led to breaking
the Hieroglyphic code. It happened when one of Napoleon’s soldiers stumbled
across the Rosetta Stone on July, 19, 1799. Our historical record will
eventually be written entirely in Emojis at the rate the number of symbols is growing.
I pity archeologists of the distant future, unearthing our civilizations and
trying to understand the written language.
Comments? Complaints? Send
to – mlessler7@gmail.com
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