ASCII Art is a graphic design technique that uses printable characters from the ASCII standard to create visual images. Its origins date back to the early days of computing and Bulletin Board Systems (BBS) when graphical capabilities were extremely limited or nonexistent. Over decades, it evolved from simple emoticons to complex portraits and 'copypastas' frequently shared in IRC channels, Reddit threads, and Twitch chats. Today, ASCII art serves as a nostalgic callback to early internet culture, often used to bypass image filters or to add a unique, retro aesthetic to social media posts and programming forums.