Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

"... her main point is sound: smileys distill communication into symbols, quick and dirty, which may make communication easier, but also more stupid."

The problem with this statement is that all language is symbolic. The words we use to convey meaning are arbitrary; there's nothing inherent in strings of letters or sounds that make them mean what they do. Saying that smileys distill communication into symbols is a pointless statement because all language does that, and in fact arbitrariness is a key property of language.

"Above all, though, she sees the smiley as superfluous. As she says, 'Trust that if something is making you smile, you can tell me about it and I'll understand.'"

The problem with that is that writing, by itself, doesn't convey intonation, volume, or facial expressions, all of which are important clues in interpersonal communication. Sarcasm, for instance, isn't expressed through the literal meaning of the words used but rather through intonation and facial expressions; an emoticon serves the pragmatic function of conveying what the explicit meaning of the words does not.