A Stylistic Analysis of Graphic Emoticons: Can they be Candidates for a Universal Visual Language of the Future? (ED-MEDIA 2008)

ED-MEDIA 2008 paper: A Stylistic Analysis of Graphic Emoticons: Can they be Candidates for a Universal Visual Language of the Future?
Abstract: This paper, describing the current popularity of graphic emoticon usage in Japanese social network services, blogs and mobile phone communication, illustrates that these graphic emoticons are now evolving into ideographic images as substitutes for [...]