ASCII ART
(source: Encyclopedia of New Media)

ASCII art is text art created with ASCII, a protocol established by the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI), which is America's
representative to the International Organization for Standardization
(IOS).  ASCII art uses ASCII text characters to produce images.  The
emoticon, an element of text messaging and email, is an example of ASCII
art at its most popular and functional.

     Precursors of ASCII art are techniques such as mosaic, hiero-
glyphics, and dot art.  But ASCII art is most obviously an extension of
typewriter art.  After E. Remington and Sons began manufacturing type-
writers in 1874, they were soon being used not only for writing, but
also for creating pictures.  Typewriter art competitions were held as
early as 1890, and the genre continued to be popular until the 1970s.
Text images were later sent via Teletype, which was developed around
1900; drawings transmitted over Teletype are done in capital letters
and printed on long paper tapes.

     The ASCII code was established by ANSI in the early 1960s, and was
standardized between 1968 and 1972.  It is a way of presenting and
reading the Latin-based alphanumeric keyboard characters used by many
language groups.  Like other protocols, it was developed as a standard
to ensure that the message sent over a network would be similar to the
message received.

     ASCII art uses the alphanumeric character set to produce images,
with characters coming together to mimic pen lines, brush strokes,
benday dots, and so on.  Its utility in computer-mediated communication
(CMC) ranges from the use of such basic emoticons as the "smiley" to the
creation of elaborate pieces that emulate classical art.  ASCII art is
most commonly found in online talk/chat environments, online games,
email, ezines, and as "signatures" at the end of email or Usenet
messages.  (The Usenet newsgroups dealing with ASCII art are
alt.ascii-art, where participants post their art, and rec.arts.ascii.)
ASCII art is also found on dedicated Web sites, where users exhibit
their work and provide links to other exhibitors.

     In the past 20 years, ASCII art has become a developed form that
includes abstract, cartoon, portrait, realist, and minimalist sub-
genres.  Much ASCII art relies on line characters, such as _, \, |, /,
and -.  Other pieces use the whole range of keys, but letters often
interrupt the line of the image unless used carefully.

     At the level of signature and emoticon, ASCII art continues to be
a significant element of text-based communication; as a more complex
artistic form, it remains a specialist or niche interest.  However, the
eas with which it can be developed -- and the fact that it does not
impact on file size in the same way that images do -- means that it
remains both a useful and an entertaining staple of CMC.  Despite the
multimedia environment of the Web, some users cannot download image
files or reach HTML.  ASCII is the most universally accessible form of
CMC, although even this form excludes some language groups.

     The Internet was originally a text-based medium, and email is still
one of its most frequently employed aspects.  Its origin in text helped
the Internet to create an environment of experimentation and exploration
of the possibilities of text as a primary communications medium.  One of
the early observations about text-only CMC was that it failed to
communicate the complexity of gesture, expression, and emotional nuance
that was clearly evident, for example, in verbal exchange.  Originating
as a way of enriching the text environment and allowing for a greater
range of human expression, ASCII art can be viewed as an argument
against technological determinism, as it shows that individuals can
shape the uses to which technology is put.  The continuing popularity of
ASCII art is an example of how the older forms of the Internet, such as
email and Usenet, undergird the newer forms, such as the Web.


                              ...::::)))))):.
   /~~\               ...:(((((((((((((((((:'
  /~~\ \          .::)))))))))))))))))))):`
      \_\__   ,-((((((((((((((((((((((:'
    ,`~__ '),' ` `''"~'~-=-===.~~'"'`
   (,@   ,/   `.`.`. .-.     _/@@@/`.
    \_.__/\__`~\____ |~|.~+=/@@@/~_/@`.
      ~` _____\ \. '~| |'~~;@@/~_/@@@@/`.
        /=___=___\-  | |    `\_/@@@@/~_/@`.
       //~           `.`.      '\@/~_/@@@@/.
  jgs //               `.`.       \/@@@/~~ ;
     ]/                  ~=`._      `'~=._.;
                                          .'

ASCII art by Joan Stark (www.ascii-art.com).


___Bibliography

Abbate, Janet.  "Inventing the Internet".
 Cambridge and London: MIT Press, 1999.

American National Standards Institute.  Homepage.
 <http://www.ansi.org> (March 19, 2002).


___Further Reading

Danet, Brenda.  "Cyberpl@y: Communicating Online".
 Oxford, England: Berg, 2001

The Great ASCII Art Library, April 1997.
 <http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Marina/4942/ascii.htm>
 (March 19, 2002).

Mullen, Allen.  ASCII Picture Collections.
 <http://www.afn.org/~afn39695/collect.htm> (March 19, 2002).

Riddell, Alan, ed.  "Typewriter Art: Half a Century of Experiment".
 London: Polytechnic of Central London, 1981.


___Related Topics

Email; Emoticons; USENET

                                   -- Kate O'Riordan


SOURCE:
Jones, Steve, ed.  "Encyclopedia of New Media:
 An Essential Reference to Communication and Technology".
 Thousand Oaks, CA, USA: SAGE Publications, 2002.
 pp. 15-16.

Converted to ASCII by Ghost Rider (a!p) on August 18th, 2004