!!!!!!!!!

October 25, 2023 4:00 AM

Things need to make sense, and the ! just doesn’t, subjective and subversive as it is, popping out from the uniform flow of words on the line. Since the triumphal conquering of smartphone technology and social media, the exclamation point finds fewer and fewer friends: We live in a digital village, chatting to one another from across the globe, and will use emotive social cues such as the exclamation point, and plenty of them. And because we just need to press down a thumbbbbbb to reproduce any character at nearly no cost, we’re more likely to flood the digital world with !!!!!!. No wonder we’re a little allergic to the poor !, stigmatizing its ubiquity as annoying and unnecessary. from How to Exclaim!
posted by chavenet (33 comments total)

⸘ Bring on the dancing interrobangs ‽ MetaPrev
posted by BobTheScientist at 4:44 AM on October 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

¡Hola! Soy Dora.
posted by krisjohn at 5:14 AM on October 25, 2023 [4 favorites]

Exclamation points are well and good, but I get far more emotional punch out of escalating levels of ?. You can really feel the confusion and stress rise with each additional one.
posted by Zargon X at 5:18 AM on October 25, 2023 [4 favorites]

To me, exclamation points are the eyes of the punctuation world. CAPS give you loudness, periods and commas give rhythm, question marks and ellipses give inflection. But exclamation points suggest the wide eyes and raised brow of a person crying out for attention.

This is fine.
THIS IS FINE.
This is fine?
This is fine...
This is fine!
posted by swift at 5:34 AM on October 25, 2023 [6 favorites]

And because we just need to press down a thumbbbbbb to reproduce any character at nearly no cost

At least on most smartphones and tablets, holding down a key only pops up a menu of alternate glyphs.
posted by RonButNotStupid at 5:49 AM on October 25, 2023 [7 favorites]

I think I’ve said this before but my favorite creative writing professor (in the pre texting, barely internet era) told us that the universe had gifted each of of with a precious few bangers (!s) and it was one of our tasks to figure how best to to utilize them so we could make them count.
posted by thivaia at 5:57 AM on October 25, 2023 [6 favorites]

I send a lot of emails that look like this because I want to convey that my brief request is a friendly one: Appreciate your [whatever]! Could you send me [the thing]? Thanks so much! I would never use two exclamation marks in three sentences in my fiction writing (unless it was dialogue of a character who was very enthusiastic, maybe) but in texts and emails the vibe is different.
posted by joannemerriam at 6:10 AM on October 25, 2023 [10 favorites]

There's a whole world of punctuation marks out there; you'll have to pry the semicolons from my cold, dead hands.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:44 AM on October 25, 2023 [9 favorites]

I maintain good friendships with some of my old bosses. Two of them enjoy being cranky and pretending to hate exclamation points, so I like to razz them by writing messages that end with "Thank you. Exclamation point." instead of "Thank you!" Gets a chuckle every time, they say.
posted by wicked_sassy at 6:59 AM on October 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

I think there is a difference between the EM in personal one-to-one communication and in writing for a wider audience, as with the comments here. In the latter it basically says, "I intended for this to be funny, but since it isn't I have added an exclamation mark so you can at least be aware of my intention."

Essentially it is an admission of failure. But a good natured one.
posted by biffa at 7:35 AM on October 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

I relate a lot to the meme about "add enough exclamation points to seem friendly, oh no do I seem unhinged take some out, wait is that too mad add some back in, wait now it's worse, AHHHHHHHH" - just leave me to my peace and my exclamation points and don't judge (I even love the heart emoji that is a hear exclamation point)
posted by ersatzkat at 8:03 AM on October 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

Written words can never truly capture what we say out loud. There's so much you can say with gestures, facial expressions, stress, and timing that prose can't easily convey. At best the exclamation point is an invitation to imagine how it might have been said.
posted by tommasz at 8:20 AM on October 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

Mash it like you mean it!!!@!~!~@!!Q#@!!~!!
posted by neonamber at 8:25 AM on October 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

But what happens when you throw a question mark into the mix!? Or should it be?!
Is one confusion?!?!?!
and the other shock!?!?!?
posted by carrioncomfort at 9:56 AM on October 25, 2023 [3 favorites]

Things need to make sense

This is where they lost me.
posted by nickmark at 10:00 AM on October 25, 2023 [5 favorites]

posted by carrioncomfort

epony-b/c-hopkins-is-referenced-in-the-essay-sterical?!
posted by mittens at 10:06 AM on October 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

It's all too much anymore.

I use complete words, initial caps, and periods in text. Not cool.
And I use a closing period at the end of the text. So rude.
But I'm allowed to use a crap-ton of exclamation points??!??!?! That's just silly.
posted by BlueHorse at 10:46 AM on October 25, 2023 [3 favorites]

I use complete words, initial caps, and periods in text. Not cool.
And I use a closing period at the end of the text. So rude.

That’s the crap that baffles me, and I’m seeing it more and more all over the place. The complete lack of any punctuation, or even paragraph breaks. Just massive blocks of text, and usually poorly written, to boot.
posted by Thorzdad at 11:57 AM on October 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

If you want a picture of the future, imagine a stream of exclamation points capping a sentence - FOREVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
posted by AlSweigart at 12:18 PM on October 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

!!11!!111111!1!!1!!1
posted by bombastic lowercase pronouncements at 12:46 PM on October 25, 2023 [1 favorite]

I always thought that the exclamation mark was too excited for some instances, so I tried to get "½!" to catch on for a while, but I was unsuccessful. Oh well½!
posted by The Half Language Plant at 1:08 PM on October 25, 2023 [3 favorites]

I think we can all agree that the death of English punctuation is when people end their sentences with ellipses, when they don't mean to, so it sounds like they are staring off into infinity, their voices trailing off into silence...
posted by mittens at 1:15 PM on October 25, 2023 [3 favorites]

In chess notation, !? is a move that is interesting but might be risky. Probably not the best.
While ?! is for a dubious move that just might work. Probably not the worst.
posted by MtDewd at 4:27 PM on October 25, 2023 [3 favorites]

My dad spent last night in the hospital with a one-inch kidney stone (now pulverized). I texted him that I'd heard he had had a terrible day, and that I hoped he would have good rest and feel better. He responded "Me too" followed by three exclamation points.

To my knowledge, this man has never used an exclamation point before in his life. What a night.
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 4:28 PM on October 25, 2023 [3 favorites]

I have upped the number of exclamation points I use dramatically! Not in my communications with other academics, but in those with my students. The Olds complain about exclamation-point inflation; my college students use them liberally, to indicate investment. If I don't put exclamation points into my course announcements to them, or worse, my one-on-one messages with them, I come across as coldly formal and uncaring. That is emphatically not what I want. So my colleagues may gripe about the unprofessional character of sprinkling exclamation points around, but I use them--aye, even in POWERPOINTS--to communicate to my students that I care.
posted by DrMew at 9:57 PM on October 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

I think we can all agree that the death of English punctuation is when people end their sentences with ellipses, when they don't mean to

...how are people doing accidental ellipses?
posted by Dysk at 12:15 AM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]

My theory--not that I've asked!--is that they think of a period as the end of the sentence...so two or three periods? Really, really the end of a sentence. Like, what could end a sentence more than......
posted by mittens at 4:58 AM on October 26, 2023 [2 favorites]

There was a point in my career where I was in regular email correspondence with several people who had grown up in, or still lived in, Russia. To a person, they started every email with "Dear fantabulous!", including the exclamation point. It made their emails extra-pleasant to read, like running into someone who is always excited to see you.
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 5:51 AM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]

eleven
posted by Dr. Curare at 6:05 AM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]

My theory--not that I've asked!--is that they think of a period as the end of the sentence...so two or three periods? Really, really the end of a sentence. Like, what could end a sentence more than......

That sounds quite intentional though, just unconventional?
posted by Dysk at 7:22 AM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]

...how are people doing accidental ellipses?

They are doing the ellipses on purpose, they just think that the elipsis' purpose has moved from implying/representing omitted words to only implying doubt or an incomplete thought. Probably because they read comic books as a child.
posted by The_Vegetables at 9:30 AM on October 26, 2023 [2 favorites]

... Or watched '60s Batman. Pow! Rif! Bam! Sok! Blat!
posted by TrishaU at 5:58 PM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]

I think we can all agree that the death of English punctuation is when people end their sentences with ellipses, when they don't mean to, so it sounds like they are staring off into infinity, their voices trailing off into silence...

But suppose that is exactly what they hope to convey? Certainly most of the things I actually say in person are just hopeless musings that die on the vine, in the face of [gestures broadly at the world].
posted by We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese at 8:29 AM on October 27, 2023 [3 favorites]