The internet is a bitchy, bitchy place. Every day something is misconstrued, misunderstood, mistaken, and misused. The worst troublemaker on the internet is SARCASM. Nobody gets sarcasm online AT ALL. Take this statement for example:
Now that Sarah Pallin, she’d make a great president.
Compare it to this statement:
Now that Sarah Pallin, she’d make a great president.
What’s the difference? One was said with sarcasm, I’ll let you figure out which one. There needs to be a system for deciphering this, when I post a sarcastic status update on facebook or a tongue in cheek tweet on Twatter I want people to know. So what’s my solution?
Anytime you say something sarcastic put a big fat *S* next to it. Isn’t that so completely simple? How many message board spats could be avoided by ending an ambiguously sarcastic statement with *S* letting your audience know your intentions.
This is only the beginning of the TONEicon revolution, there needs to be a council (like the one that wrote the bible!) to establish the toneiconical system. Bloggers, vloggers, gamers, and internet nerds around the world should unite in a United Nations style forum to discuss the specifics and intricacies of this new system.
It will be a revolution.
Do you have any TONEicon sugguestions???
A ToneIcon system?
I’m British, and as such I am fluent in irony and sarcasm – everything I say is one or the other, and sometimes both.
I’m not sure about about a Council. Will it be elected? Your political idol (Sarah) was elected. I rest my case m’lud.
Therefore I am happy to announce that My Sarcasm Tsar for the Americas is you Justin.
What give me the right to just appoint you? I’m British – we’ve got an Empire you know (aka The Falkland Islands. And Gibraltar).
How about this? /S\ It’s kind of like a warning symbol for sarcasm.
OMG that’s PERFECT Jennifer!