The syntax of modern tone indicators stems from /s, which has long been used on the internet to denote sarcasm.[4] This symbol is an abbreviated version of the earlier /sarcasm, itself a simplification of </sarcasm>,[5] the form of a humorous XML closing tag marking the end of a “sarcasm” block, and therefore placed at the end of a sarcastic passage.
Just because one hasn’t been exposed to a concept doesn’t make it new. :)
Tone Indicators (wikipedia.com) have been around for a long time.
Just because one hasn’t been exposed to a concept doesn’t make it new. :)