Emoticons: Efficient or lazy communication

Lianhe Zaobao, page 2

Are emoticons efficient or a lazy way to communicate? Assoc Prof Alton Chua Yeow Kuan from NTU’s WKWSCI, said that in general, pictures have a wide range of meanings, and a particular image contains more than one meaning, so they can convey a richer message than text. In a fast-paced society overloaded with information, people unconsciously choose to process information in a more efficient way, and pictures require a shorter attention span than reading, while covering more information. Emojis, if they are attractive enough, can easily spread.