The Effect of Sociocultural Variables on Sarcasm Communication Online

Online social networks (OSN) play an essential role for connecting people and allowing them to communicate online. OSN users share their thoughts, moments, and news with their network. The messages they share online can include sarcastic posts, where the intended meaning expressed by the written text is different from the literal one. This could result in miscommunication. Previous research in psycholinguistics has studied the sociocultural factors the might lead to sarcasm misunderstanding between speakers and listeners. However, there is a lack of such studies in the context of OSN. In this paper we fill this gap by performing a quantitative analysis on the influence of sociocultural variables, including gender, age, country, and English language nativeness, on the effectiveness of sarcastic communication online. We collect examples of sarcastic tweets directly from the authors who posted them. Further, we ask third-party annotators of different sociocultural backgrounds to label these tweets for sarcasm. Our analysis indicates that age, English language nativeness, and country are significantly influential and should be considered in the design of future social analysis tools that either study sarcasm directly, or look at related phenomena where sarcasm may have an influence. We also make observations about the social ecology surrounding sarcastic exchanges on OSNs. We conclude by suggesting ways in which our findings can be included in future work.Comment: Accepted as a full paper at CSCW 2020. Please cite the CSCW versio

Redes sociais enquanto nova ágora? : Comunicação digital, polarização e os códigos de comportamento urbanos e virtuais

Despite the undeniable benefits that digital communication has brought to us, this article focuses on discussing the understanding of social media as the new agora, problematizing the conception of these networks as a  perfect synonym of public domain. Along the text, we discuss some codes of urban behavior that were beingconformed in the last centuries and, later, how the internet and social networks appear within this context (sometimes reinforcing some codes, sometimes inventing new ones). In this article, it is understood that the structure and the way that social media are currently designed can serve to reinforce the polarizations we live in our time, influencing the content we access, the way we understand what is said and, consequently, the way we see the one who insists to remain other. Together with this discussion, we bring the relevance of the public space in this debate, as well as the need to remain in contact with that which is other and strange, always seeking a permeability between differences.Résumé: Malgré les avantages indéniables que la communication numérique nous a apportés, cet article se concentre sur une discussion autour de la compréhension des réseaux sociaux comme nouvelle agora, en problématisant la compréhension de ces réseaux comme un parfait synonyme de domaine public. Dans le texte, nous abordons certains codes de comportement urbain qui ont été formés au cours des derniers siècles et, plus tard, comment l'internet et les réseaux sociaux interviennent dans ce contexte (parfois en renforçant certains codes, parfois en en inventant de nouveaux). On comprend, dans cet article, que la structure même et la manière dont les réseaux sociaux sont actuellement dessinés peuvent servir de renforcement aux polarisations que nous vivons à notre époque, en influençant le contenu auquel nous accédons, la manière dont nous comprenons ce qui est dit et, par conséquent, la manière dont nous voyons celui qui insiste pour rester autre. Avec cette discussion, nous évoquons la pertinence de l'espace public dans ce débat, tout comme le besoin de rester en contact avec ce qui est autre et étrange, en cherchant toujours la perméabilité entre les différences. Mots-clés: communication numérique; polarisation; espace public; corps; différenceApesar dos inegáveis benefícios que a comunicação digital nos trouxe, o presente artigo tem por foco discutir sobre o entendimento das redes sociais como a nova ágora, problematizando a compreensão dessas redes como sinônimo perfeito de domínio público. Ao longo do texto, abordamos alguns códigos de comportamento urbano que foram se conformando nos últimos séculos e, posteriormente, como a internet e as redes sociais surgem dentro desse contexto (por vezes reforçando alguns códigos, por vezes inventando novos). Entende-se, neste artigo, que a própria estrutura e o modo como as redes sociais são desenhadas atualmente podem servir como reforço às polarizações que vivemos em nosso tempo, influenciando o conteúdo a que temos acesso, o modo como entendemos o que é dito e, consequentemente, o modo como enxergamos aquele que teima em permanecer outro. Juntamente com essa discussão, trazemos a relevância do espaço público neste debate, além da necessidade de se permanecer em contato com aquilo que é outro e estranho, procurando sempre uma permeabilidade entre as diferenças.

Individual differences in sarcasm interpretation and use: Evidence from the UK and China

Sarcasm is commonly used in everyday language; however, little is currently known about cultural and individual differences in sarcasm interpretation and use, particularly across Western and Eastern cultures. To address these gaps in the literature, the present study investigated individual differences in sarcasm interpretation and use in the UK and China. Participants first rated literal and sarcastic comments regarding degree of perceived sarcasm, aggression, amusement, and politeness. They then completed tasks which assessed their theory of mind (ToM) ability, perspective taking ability, and sarcasm use tendency. The results showed that UK participants were more sarcastic than Chinese participants. In terms of interpretation, UK participants rated sarcasm as being more amusing and polite than literal criticism, whereas the Chinese data showed that sarcasm was rated as being more amusing but also more aggressive than literal criticism. Theory of mind ability and perspective taking ability positively predicted sarcasm perception in both cultural groups, while the effects of ToM on other rating dimensions varied across cultures. Sarcasm use tendency negatively predicted perception of sarcasm and aggression in UK participants, whereas the opposite was found for Chinese participants. The decomposition of individual difference effects showed that different facets of interpretation and socio-emotional impact of sarcasm are differentially associated with different cultural and individual differences factors. From this, we propose that both cultural and individual differences factors modulate sarcasm interpretation and use: participants from different cultures and with different traits may view sarcasm differently which in turn affects their interpretation and use of sarcastic language

Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones but Words Will Never Hurt Me...Until I See Them: A Qualitative Content Analysis of Trolls in Relation to the Gricean Maxims and (IM)Polite Virtual Speech Acts

The troll is one of the most obtrusive and disruptive bad actors on the internet. Unlike other bad actors, the troll interacts on a more personal and intimate level with other internet users. Social media platforms, online communities, comment boards, and chatroom forums provide them with this opportunity. What distinguishes these social provocateurs from other bad actors are their virtual speech acts and online behaviors. These acts aim to incite anger, shame, or frustration in others through the weaponization of words, phrases, and other rhetoric. Online trolls come in all forms and use various speech tactics to insult and demean their target audiences. The goal of this research is to investigate trolls\u27 virtual speech acts and the impact of troll-like behaviors on online communities. Using Gricean maxims and politeness theory, this study seeks to identify common vernacular, word usage, and other language behaviors that trolls use to divert the conversation, insult others, and possibly affect fellow internet users’ mental health and well-being