smiley

smileys are the simple way to capture everyday emotions into a small combination of computer characters. adding too much to a smiley defeats the simple emotions that the smiley is meant to capture. smileys are usually used to lighten a conversation, or in other cases, show saddness or sympathy. some types of smileys show other expressions other than the simple smile, or frown. most smileys have interchangable features, ie; eyes and mouths, yet still display the same emotion. added mouths to any smiley enforces the smiley and implies a greater emotion than the plain smiley. more complex smileys are sometimes not considered smileys and rather called 'emotes'