The kids are hooked.
Andy Murray is a fan. Four in ten adults are fluent enough to be able to send messages composed entirely of it.
It is emoji, which is, apparently, the fastest growing language in all of the world. Invented in Japan in 1999, the pictorial code which replaces words with smileys and icons, is on course to replace all other forms of communication, it seems.
In terms of being able to speak to people of any other tongue, there is clearly much to be gained for humankind from an international code. On the downside, this modern day hieroglyphics threatens to reduce us all to the linguistic level of toddlers.
Andy Murray famously communicated the details of his wedding day through the medium of emoji. Although an amusing record of the day, it managed, like much online communication, to simultaneously tell us nothing and far too much.
For example, the reception was pretty much summed up by "drinks, drinks, more drinks, pudding, more drinks" while traditional wedding night shenanigans were conveyed through a series of hearts, kisses and winks. Thanks, but I can do without the visuals on that front.
Am I missing something here with this rush to oust the old-fashioned use of words and letters? I admit, I'll toss in the odd smiley to a text message if the bald words themselves could be read in two ways, but it is the nuances which can make the meaning, especially when it comes to emotions.
How to express, for example, the following complex feelings in emoji?
*Sadness mixed with fear for the future of humankind on learning that more votes were cast in last year's X factor than in the general election.
*Secret delight at arriving at the supermarket bakery section at the same time as the person brandishing the reduction sticker gun.
*Mortification at having run for the lift and just missed it, but also slight relief as the guy closest to the door looked a bit creepy.
*The sense of justice being served on witnessing a car with no blue badge being given a ticket for parking in a disabled spot.
*Annoyance at loud-mouth on the train conducting a business deal on his hands free phone head set, tempered with amusement at the slack-jawed child who watched the whole performance while half-heartedly shoving crisps in his mouth.
Show me a line drawing which can convey these and I might be interested. (Cue smiley face demonstrating reluctant acquiescence tinged with "if you can't beat 'em join 'em" sentiment).
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