What Is a Smiley Face?

A smiley, sometimes referred to as a smiley face, is a basic ideogram that represents a smiling face. Since the 1950s it has become part of popular culture worldwide, used either as a standalone ideogram, or as a form of communication, such as emoticons.

What does ? mean from a girl?

4. Smiling emoticon- ? This one means she might be interested in you but she is too busy right not to be chatting with you. This is another way of ending a conversation because for the time being though.

Is a smiley face an icon?

The smiley is no longer a standalone icon, but a single character in a visual online language. Though the invention of emoticons is commonly credited to Shigetaka Kurita of the Japanese telecom company NTT Docomo, the primary set of yellow smilies bear an undeniable relation to Ball's original design.