Forget Emoticons — Skype Wants You to Use ‘Humoticons’

As part of Skype’s latest marketing campaign, the video call service has launched a Facebook app geared at making our interactions more human: Skype Humoticons.
The app basically allows us to recreate classic emoticon images — such as the smiley face, sad face or tongue-out face — with our own real-life expressions. You can post existing photos to a “Humoticon gallery,” or snap new pictures within the app. The results can be shared on a Facebook wall, downloaded, or turned into a URL to share in an Instant Message.

The “It’s Time to Skype” campaign, launched earlier this month, is based on the premise that social networks such as Twitter and Facebook are “degrading humanity.” Some of the slogans Skype is using for the campaign: “140 characters doesn’t equal staying in touch” and “Upgrade from a wall post to a first class conversation.”



The reasoning behind Skype Humoticons? “Because nothing can replace the look on your face,” according to a Skype blog post.
There is a distinct irony in the campaign. At the same time it blasts Facebook and Twitter, Skype isn’t above using both social networks for promotion purposes. As part of the “It’s Time for Skype” social media campaign, for example, the hashtag #timeforskype will be used on Twitter.
And not only does Skype have a video call integration feature on Facebook, but the entire Humoticons campaign is housed on a Facebook page.
Do we really need to mimic emoticons to put the humanity back in our conversations? Will you use them, or are they just another superficial way to show what we’re feeling? Sound off in the comments.