In 1982, a physics joke gone wrong sparked the invention of the emoticon
4 days ago
- #online communication
- #history of technology
- #emoticons
- Scott Fahlman proposed using :-) and :-( to distinguish jokes from serious comments on September 19, 1982.
- The idea emerged after a joke about a mercury-contaminated elevator led to misunderstandings on Carnegie Mellon's 'bboard'.
- Neil Swartz initiated the discussion with a physics problem about objects in a free-falling elevator.
- Howard Gayle's facetious 'WARNING!' post about the elevator caused confusion, highlighting the need for clearer online communication.
- Fahlman suggested marking non-serious posts to prevent 'flame wars' and misunderstandings in text-based communication.