Maybe it’s just a reddit/Threadiverse thing, maybe it’s stronger in political communities, but I constantly see sarcasm everywhere online, far more than anywhere else. Scroll down and you’ll even see it here.
Funnily enough, in a vacuum, one might expect online forums to avoid it more, since written text can mask tone and make sarcasm unintentionally ambiguous, to the point where it’s common to see people adding </s> tags to clarify. It’s not rare to see arguments started when people don’t recognise non-literal language.
Is it merely a habit being repeated? Is it a widespread coping mechanism for frustration? Is it simply the lowest form of wit, a simple and popular way to make fun? Is it an effective way to normalise unpopular views with the plausible deniability of just making jokes?
for myself I have always been sarcastic and in meatspace was also well known for devils advocate as well. I actually try to curb it as much as I can manage with online because of how what I view as sarcasm seems to be part of a variety of folks actual beliefs.
lol nice, another fellow user of the term “meatspace”. I find the term quite self explanatory, but I often have to explain it to people when I allow it into my vernacular.