Emoticons are simple combinations of keyboard characters that represent facial expressions, used to convey emotions in digital communication. Common examples include :) for happiness, :( for sadness, and ;) for a wink. They help add emotional context to text, making it easier for readers to understand the sender's feelings. Originally popularized in the early days of the internet, emoticons have evolved into more complex forms, such as emoji, which are colorful images representing various emotions, objects, and activities. Both emoticons and emojis enhance online interactions by providing visual cues that words alone may not fully express.