Real smileys are ASCII
Adële in The charm of ASCII smileys :-):
Nowadays, it's easy to forget about ASCII smileys. These simple text faces were the first way to show feelings online. They have a special place in the history of the internet and in my heart.
Same! Since I do all my writing in a text editor, I try to stick to ASCII smileys whenever I feel like using a smiley. All those images confuse me. My favourite is ^_^ although I've no idea what it's supposed to mean. I just know it looks like someone who messed up and decided to fess up with their most winning smile.