It is pretty bad. But so is the emoticon, which looks to me to show the exact opposite of what I’d think a “cool” smiley should indicate.
Yes, emoticons are hardly World Peace or a Cure for Cancer. But it’s hard to indicate sarcasm or other emotions in just plain text. They serve a useful purpose in assisting communication.
“Sure, I love the new emoticons. :rolleyes:” (assume that’s the old rolleyes)
Very true. Attempts over the years (at various venues) to introduce ‘sarcasm marks’ have never really taken off.
For example, it’s been suggested that forward slashes surrounding a sentence should indicate that the sentence is not to be interpreted literally. The trouble is that if readers have never heard of that use of forward slashes, then obviously it’s pointless to use them. But a good, clearly-sarcastic smiley conveys the meaning well, as you point out.
emoticon, which looks to me to show the exact opposite of what I’d think a “cool” smiley should indicate.