Today, I was scrolling through my subscriptions list and found a video that pertains to almost every single young adult today that either texts, chats through instant messages, or sends e-mails. Watch below:

 

After watching this video, I began to reflect back on my own usage of emoticons. I admit, I am quite the frequent user of emoticons. However, I didn't realize just how frequently I inserted emoticons into my messages until I checked the outgoing text messages in my phone...

I realize that about 90% of my texts have some sort of emoticons in them. And upon reflecting back on my uses of emoticons online, I realize that I probably use an emoticon every few instant messages... No e-mail goes out into the world wide web and into the screen of one of my friends without containing a few smileys here and there. (Also, if you keep up with my passion blog, you'll notice that every single post has some sort of emoticon in it.) 

My most frequently used are:

"The Smiley"               :)

"The Frowny"             :(

"The Smiley 2"            :]

"The Frowny 2"          :[

"The Happy"              ^^

"The Extra Happy"     ^-^

"The Super Excited!"  :D

"The Extra Happy Plus Peace Sign" ^-^v

"The UGH"               T_T

"The UGH 2"             -_-

"The UGH 3"            =_=

"The Extra UGH"      =_=;;  (The added semi-colons are kinda hard to explain. I assume if you're Asian, no further explanation is needed. If you're not. Uh... Ask me later?)

"The Scratching the Head in Confusion"      o_oa

(Okay, so the last one isn't one that I use all the time. But it's one of my favorites for being so darn creative and cute!)

The use of emoticons have been spreading like rapid fire. What could have been a "that sounds fine" can now be replaced with a simple ":)". Rhetorically, emoticons give written conversation a new medium through which we can convey our emotions. However, I believe that emotions go beyond that one simple purpose.

As I was observing the way in which I use my emoticons, I noticed that I inserted smileys and etc. in places that didn't necessarily need a visual aide in conveying the message. Upon this revelation, I discovered that in many instances I used a :) or ^^ to soften up the meaning of the message. In other words, with my emoticons, I managed to rhetorically alter the atmosphere in which my message was conveyed. For example: Yesterday a friend texted me saying that she had forgotten that she was supposed to meet with me at 2:30. She told me she thought I had told her a later time. This news arrived after I had reached her building.  Annoyed, I texted back "I told you I ended class at 2:15... I'm at your building already, but I guess I'll talk to you later. Don't worry about it :)"

I wanted to convey the message that I was upset. However, I didn't want to end the conversation on a bad note. So I inserted the smiley face at the end to soften up the tone of my message. 

There are so many ways in which we utilize emoticons--especially when mere words just won't do the trick. If you're one of those people who rarely use emoticons, then good for you. Maybe you're just extremely eloquent with your words and have no need for the rhetorical assistance that emoticons provide. However, if you're one of those people who say whatever they'd like and assume that a smiley face at the end makes it all okay, please think again. The usage of emoticons doesn't cancel out the need for common courtesy. =)

Gathering attention through new mediums!

I've posted up various videos from my favorite YouTubers in the past, but I think this one may be my favorite. Not only does it show how YouTube videos can serve as rhetorically powerful messages, but it garners attention and money towards an issue that's causing a lot of concern right now.
As most of you know, earlier this month, Japan suffered from a life-shattering combination of earthquakes and tsunamis. The country right now is in shambles, with more than 11,000 people confirmed to be dead, 17,000 people unaccounted for, and hundreds of thousands without homes. The issue becomes even more devastating as the country is in danger from nuclear plants causing much disturbance. This particular concern hits closer to home than we think--radioactive waste has been reported to be found in Californian rain. (Although the amounts are not yet large enough to pose any threat.)

In this video, Ryan Higa, the most subscribed YouTuber in YouTube history, creates a video to bring attention to this cause. He begins the video by putting out a little disclaimer about the video. He talks about how he acknowledges that this video is a drastic change from his regular comical rants and gags. While he may have put this up to respond to the potential hateful comments that may come his way, I think that the introduction is a powerful rhetorical technique!
Ryna Higa, as a funny comedian, really rarely puts up anything serious. However, when a funny guy suddenly becomes serious, the impact is enormous. I would compare this situation to the advertisemt for a jewelry store from this past Super Bowl. In the midst of all the chaotic hubbub, the jewelry store created an ad with no sound and no color. It was simply a white screen with lettering. The sudden hush immediately caught the attention of the whole room. Like the advertisement, Ryan Higa was able to catch the attention of all his viewers. "What's up with this guy? If he's being serious, that's gotta mean that something's up..."
As always, I'll emphasize again on how rhetorically influential I think vloggers can be. Yea, companies can pay millions of dollars to professional advertisement planners to create the "rhetorically perfect" message. But there's just something about a homemade video that captures our attentions and our hearts!