The Development of Digital Body Language
I recently came across the website Conventional Comments while browsing the indie web, and I must say I find it quite the intriguing concept. For those who do not click the link, the basic principle it suggests is the idea of using labels or tags at the front of a message, in the following format:
<label> [decorations]: <subject>
[discussion]
In essence it might look like the following:
Question: Have you considered linking this post to the main page?
The intended goal of this standard is to clear up contexts and connotations in editing and revising code, documents, and communicating through commenting systems. In text forms of communication, a lack of body language and vocal tone can lead to misunderstandings over the purpose and intent of communication, and this system seeks to address that.
However, I am immediately reminded of the race of Elcor from the game Mass Effect, and their style of utilizing emotive prefixes prior to speaking. The Elcor, due to having rather monotone speech patterns, rely on emotive prefixes during communication with non-Elcor. It is entirely possible that one would adopt a system of communication very similar to Conventional Comments for communicating, even in physical space.
On Earth, however, other solutions have also been explored. The rise of tone tags and attempts at exploring forms of meta-communication has given rise to concepts like /s (sarcasm), /srs (serious), and /g (genuine); the introduction of emoticons and emoji has also allowed symbols to be applied to statements to give them tone, make serious-sounding statements appear more lighthearted, or make them more specific. As well, some internet slang still hangs around in the same manner (I frequently use lol or lmao at the end of messages in an attempt at making them sound more positive).
Other forms of media also bring themselves into the digital space in an attempt to explore new forms of expression. The Spongebob Mocking Meme is one example of another attempt at codifying digital sarcasm, and other meme-frameworks likely exist as well.
While these concepts intrigue me, they also appear to have a large following among the neurodivergent internet users, who typically struggle with tone identification and may be more likely to utilize these concepts when communicating with others.
At the very least, I can say that I will likely be implementing more Conventional Comments in my workspace, and I will certainly be considering how other parts of my life might be simplified with some clarification of intent.