Email conventions seeping into handwriting

[Lindsie Tucker]

My sense is that using the smiling face to indicate humor predates the
"emoticon" by quite some time.   At least I have used it in lieu of something
lame like "ha ha" for a number of years.
I recently found myself saying BRB to someone who is also very familiar with
internet jargon, abbreviations, etc.   As I said it, we looked at each other
and grimaced!