I actually have no problem with emoticons, use them all the time myself, and I’m well into my 30’s now. It’s a habit I formed in my BBS days in the early 90’s, and can’t seem to break (at least not in casual conversation). But emoticons, at least, are the same size (generally) as the text with which they are interspersed. They can still be overused, but they’re not nearly as intrusive as stickers are.
