When did people begin using emoticons? How do you know?

Question

Responses

around the 1870s: "Future President Theodore Roosevelt was a student at Harvard in the 1870s. He may have been among those young men being described by Eliot.
around the 1870s: "Future President Theodore Roosevelt was a student at Harvard in the 1870s. He may have been among those young men being described by Eliot.

in 1982; "In a 1982 email, Fahlman suggested using ':-)' as a 'joke marker.' You could type it into an email to indicate which parts were wisecracks or sarcasm.
in 1982; "In a 1982 email, Fahlman suggested using ':-)' as a 'joke marker.' You could type it into an email to indicate which parts were wisecracks or sarcasm. EndFragment

around A.D. 63; "For example, in the year A.D. 63, a Roman scholar complained that students of Latin were writing in an 'artificial language.'"
around A.D. 63; "For example, in the year A.D. 63, a Roman scholar complained that students of Latin were writing in an 'artificial language.'" EndFragment

Answer 1

Emoticons, as we understand them today, began to be used around 1982 when computer scientist Scott Fahlman suggested using the symbols ":-)" as a way to denote jokes in online communication. This helped clarify the tone of written messages, which can often be misinterpreted without vocal cues.

However, if we broaden our definition to include symbols used to convey emotions, we can trace their origins much further back. For example, in A.D. 63, a Roman scholar noted that students were communicating in an "artificial language," which might suggest early forms of symbolic communication similar to emoticons.

Thus, while the modern use of emoticons started in the early 1980s, symbolic representations of emotions have been around in various forms for centuries.