Well, it looks like we got through #2K15. It has been a rollercoaster of emotions for most of us across this over-crowded,
over-dry planet of ours. With Paris attacks punctuating this destructive year, we have seen, countless times, what we are
capable of. From legalizing same-sex marriage in Ireland, to the discovery of liquid water on Mars by NASA, 2015 has had
its ups and downs.
We now live in a time where the Oxford Dictionary, which has been around for over 130 years, decided the word of the
year is an emoji. Not just any emoji, but the “most popular:” the “Face with Tears of Joy” emoji. So, if you want to sum up
2015, you should probably just go into hysterics by crying and laughing at the same time.
For someone who loves words and languages, this is bewildering. I understand that we now live in a world of convenience where we’re always looking for the fastest Wi-Fi, the quickest route on Google Maps, and avoiding queues by online shopping, but have words become secondary to a selection of gestures and facial expressions? As technology evolves at an exponential rate, humans are reverting back to communicating like our Neanderthal relatives. Grunt.
In an Oxford Dictionaries blog post, “[The emoji] was chosen as the best ‘word’ that best reflected the ethos, mood, and preoccupations of 2015.” I guess after all of the mindless deaths that happened in Paris, Charleston, and Boko Haram,
this is how we collectively feel.
So, how many online petitions did you sign this year? Did you tell Christy Clark not to cull the BC wolves, or do your best
to stop Donald Trump from continuing in the 2016 presidential election? These days, if you have an opposable thumb, you can “do your part” to save our sad world with just a click, entering your email, and ignoring the “additional comments” section.
You can be on your way to telling everyone on your feed how you are changing the world.
This act of participating in a political or social cause via the internet “requiring little time or involvement” is called slacktivism. Even Microsoft Word has accepted this portmanteau of “slacker” and “activism” as a word. This idea that one can feel satisfied in their contribution from behind a screen solidifies the notion that laziness has taken precedence over speaking up. If you’d like to talk about this, please email me expressing your feelings in 10 emojis or less. K thnx bye, lol.
Or, if you’re actually the written word type, then continue on and check out our last issue of 2015. It’s chock full of holiday crafts and an apple cider recipe. Our beloved contributor Farida El Sheshingy tells us about Christmas in Egypt, and even uses the emoji of the year in a Snapchat photo. But don’t forget to like us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, so you never miss a moment of scrolling. We promise to stay within 140 characters so you don’t get too overwhelmed.