[–] [deleted] 4 points 6 points 10 points (+10|-4) ago
[–] The_Redditor 0 points 1 point 1 point (+1|-0) ago
I wonder if there's a tendency toward over-diagnosis of that in this day and age..
[–] Surfing_Wookiee 1 point 0 points 1 point (+1|-1) ago
Sarcasm is usually identified through inflections, tone of voice, and body language. When communicating through text, none of these traditional indicators are present, forcing the reader to guess as to the true intent of the op.
[–] ghotioninabarrel 1 point 3 points 4 points (+4|-1) ago
Because we've seen people who would say shit and mean it. If the entire comment is sarcastic and we haven't seen that person before (or just didn't read the username) then as far as we know they're serious.
Google Poe's Law.
[–] 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?
[–] dylbobagginses 2 points 20 points 22 points (+22|-2) ago
It's hard to tell in text when sarcasm is implied, there are too many varying opinions and when someone says something it is generally taken how it is written.
I feel like i speak in a dry monotone and need a /s for real life too...
[–] Ralph_Malph 0 points 6 points 6 points (+6|-0) ago
This. It is at times hard to tell the tone of anything in text-based communication, be it sarcasm, humor or what have you.