October 2019 Bar Bulletin
By Barbara Engstrom
The other day a question came up regarding the difference between an emoticon and an emoji. Simply put, emoticons are expressive representations created using keyboard characters and emojis are preconstructed pictures associated with electronic communication platforms such as text messages, email and social media. Both emoticons and emojis allow users to add emotional expression to their communication and the terms are sometimes used interchangeably.
As I considered the question, I wondered whether any Washington courts had defined either of the terms. Surprisingly, searches on Westlaw Edge and Lexis Advance for any instance of either the term emoji or...