Soon

Texting. It would appear to have killed off the telegram. Stop. Or had the fax already done that? Stop.
What was once a means of communication given over almost exclusively to the kids is now, arguably, the only sure fire way to reach most people. With the exception of my dad, obviously. Yet, for all the texts I end up sending I almost invariably, wherever possible, 'write' them in longhand. Apart from when my own brand of (still to be copyrighted) shorthand is dropped into the 'conversation'. However, that doesn't mean I won't use the odd smiley or sad face emoji to convey my particular response to something that warrants it. If someone asks me if I fancy a beer later, then a smiley face is usually the only reply needed.
But it's one that Apple have recently imported to my phone (or, more accurately, the one I've not long discovered) that is currently getting a lot of usage. Who knew that one tiny icon could carry with it so much promise?