[–] Vheissu_ 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Here is a theoretical example to drive the point home:
Say someone submits a news article titled: The NSA is spying on civilians
A comment without a sarcasm marker:
I don't see the big issue, if you have nothing to hide, then does it matter the NSA are spying on you? It's not like the government would ever use this information against anyone anyway. And if you want privacy, don't go on the internet or use your phone or any activity they might be able to log.
See the issue there? You don't know if the commenter is legitimately being serious or sarcastic. Adding a "/s" to the end will probably save the commenter a world of downvotes by showing they don't agree and they're trying to make light of the situation, sort of.
[–] Ralph_Malph 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
I have to ask -- is this an actual comment taken from somewhere? If so, was it actually sarcastic?
[–] SelfReferenceParadox 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Voat's a horrible webste for horrible people
vs.
Voat's a horrible webste for horrible people /s
Without the /s, it would look completely serious.
[–] The_Redditor ago
Generalised decline in standards of literacy, compounded by the tendency to aim for the lowest-common-denominator when writing for mass appeal to a massive audience.
In addition to the points already mentioned, sarcasm is a cultural thing and not as widely used and understood as you might think. For instance, it is rarely used in Japan and other parts of Asia.
[–] CarlosShyamalan 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
Theres too many different opinions on voat. This means that theres a huge difference between
and