From FastCompany, a look at the character world’s maven of reinvention – the @ character symbol

With whimsical beginnings as a rose in bookkeeping then moving to the “navel of the digital body we now call the internet,” John Brownlee’s article unravels the @ symbol. Brownlee chats with Keith Houston, author of Shady Characters: The Secret Life of Punctuation, Symbols, and other Typographical Marks. The two authors discuss whether @ is where it’ll stay – as THE character representation of people inhabiting digital realms.

It’s a fascinating look at the capability of characters to transcend language barriers. It also speaks to the use of communication strategies through particular character or representational choices. Finally, the appropriate use of the @ symbol is an excellent example of the ways in which one can demonstrate “insider” status or savvy. This knowledge demonstrated by using the symbol appropriately–whether directing comments toward another digital comrade or sending comments through an electronic system–and even sparingly in contemporary digital spaces (see Brownlee’s comments on CyberC@fes). Click through the link to read more.