Sarcasm, Social Media, and Loss Meanings

 

    Sarcasm is defined as, "The use of irony to mock or convey contempt", as it falls on the more "raunchy" side of the humor scale. Sarcasm is bold and has few limitations, as it is not in sync with sensitivity. As explained by Francesca Gino, "“Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit but the highest form of intelligence,” wrote that connoisseur of wit, Oscar Wilde". Consequently, "....sarcasm expresses the poisonous sting of contempt, hurting others and harming relationships. As a form of communication, sarcasm takes on the debt of conflict" (Gino). Essentially, while meant to be a form of humor and a joke, sarcasm makes things seem more harsh and jagged than they were initially intended to be received. 

Furthermore, in the age of internet and social media, the true meaning of sarcasm can be even more misconstrued. A text or a Snapchat embellished with a sarcastic remark makes it hard to decipher if it is a joke or not. Texts are unable to pick up on a person's tone of voice or facial expressions, thus leaving the joke flat and one-sided. I think back to my own experiences with jokes and texts and remember all of the times a sarcastic remark has been taken the wrong way. "Do you ever shut up?" or, "Yeah you're a genius aren't you?" – just typing it out right now makes me cringe as these words seem so harsh. Without a human voice, tone, pitch, or inflection, these words are coarse and don't feel humorous at all. Social media and technology complicate everything, even humor. Jokes are lost in translation as someone's words paired with an emoji feel unknown and impossible to depict. 

Humor takes on so many forms, yet articles like Gino's remind us of the implications of sarcasm, especially in today's world. While humor is important, and sarcasm can spark creativity as it is a more elite and intelligent form of humor, it is important to be wary of the setting in which sarcasm is delivered, and who it is delivered too. Not everyone will appreciate or understand sarcasm, so it is essential to keep the implications of sarcasm in mind. 

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