Emoticons first came into use in 1982. The first emoticon was the basic smiley :-). Since then, many have been brought into usage.
Emoticons are used to convey tone of voice and other body language clues that we can't hear or see in the online format. This helps to make the meaning of the communication more clear to the reader.
Here are some of the most frequently used emoticons. To view them correctly, you must tilt your head to the left or you can turn your monitor on its side ;-)
| :-) | smiling; agreeing |
| :-D | laughing |
| ;-) | winking; just kidding |
| ;-> | devilish wink |
| :-( | frowning; sad |
| :-o | amazement |
| :-@ | screaming, upset |
| :-? | confused |
