Book 1 - Hola MaHigh-School - June 2022

The World of Icons
Icons – we see them and use them. At lest in a digital world. But…. Where
are they coming from? And do they evolve?
Here is a definition I found on Wiki: “in computer usage an icon, is a
graphic symbol that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance
to a physical object”. That is fair enough.
If I want to save my work I click on the little floppy disk
icon (the 3,5” variant). Easy. If I want to discard something,
I move it to the bin.
I associate my action (save) with the icon, because that
is how I used to save things. But what if I have never
seen a floppy disk in my life (as a little 12-yer old)?
And the bin? If we do not really use paper, the bin icon does not make
sense.
Is it time for a rethink of the icons we use? If the
association between action and the graphical representation
is not there in the minds of the new generation,
then learning is getting difficult. It is easy for
‘oldies’. They saved their work on those small plast
things.
Look around. Do you buy a movie on a CD or just download it on your