Tone Indicators

I've noticed that many people on here don't know what tone indicators are or how to use them, not sure if there is already a thread about this but I figured I'd make one!



What are tone indicators?

Something to put at the end [and preferably at the beginning as well] of a sentence, generally in conversation to show how you want something to be taken.

EX: "Wow, you're such a great friend! /Gen" or "Wow, you're such a great friend. /S"


What is the point of tone indicators?

To, well, indicate tone!
We don't often have access to nonverbal cues in online conversations, and it can be difficult for neurodivergent people to understand face-to-face where there are nonverbal and verbal cues, so you can imagine how difficult it can be online to understand what others mean and/or to know how they mean it.


Who can use tone indicators?

Anyone! Tone indicators are useful to everyone, not just neurodivergent people. They are an important piece of online conversations in text-formate to accurately get a point across. They did start/come about to help neurodivergent folk, but anyone can use them.


When should I use tone indicators?

Whenever you're saying something that can be interpreted in different ways.

Example:

"I hate you /j"
If you are joking around with a friend and don't actually hate them.

"I hate you /ly"
If you're quoting a song that has the lyric "I hate you" in it.

"I hate you /srs"
If you are being serious and legitimately hate this person. The /srs tag is not meant to be misused or used as a joke.




Credit to this site for the answers to these questions and examples.

Keep in mind
--------------------------------------


Never use tone indicators as a joke. It defeats the entire purpose, of tone indicators, it takes away a safespace for neurodiverse people and is simply lazy humor.

Do not mock tone indicators or those who need them. Tone indicators serve a good purpose, and they help prevent misunderstandings.

Try to remember tone indicators in the original post, before people have a chance to reply. People often forget to properly tag their post and wind up waiting until people have already responded to it. It may seem harmless if it's just a copypasta or song lyrics but in some cases, it can cause alarm or even induce anxiety.

It may come across as condescending if you use tone indicators in excess. 1 or two are usually enough.

Example:
Person A: "Ah, thank you so much! /gen /pos /srs"
Person B: "You don't have to use so many tone tags, I can understand you just fine! /gen /nm"


You don't have to use every tone indicator. Just respect other people's preferences regarding tone indicators. If tone indicators are useful to you or people you know/people around you, then that's great! Just make sure you aren't being misleading. You can just stick to the ones that are more popularly used unless it's necessary.


Not all neurodivergent people need or even want tone indicators. They might feel as though they're being condescended to, or infantilized. Every person is different.
People will often have it explicitly somewhere on their profile if they do want you to use tone indicators.
If you aren't sure, it's okay to ask!






[credit goes to the same site mentioned at the bottom of the first post, the site explained it really well so this is a bit of a copy-paste.]

Masterlist


/j - joking

/hj - half-joking

/s - sarcasm/sarcastic

/gen or /g - genuine

/srs - serious

/nsrs - not serious

/pos or /pc - positive connotation

/neu - neutral or neutral connotation

/neg or /nc - negative connotation

/p - platonic

/r - romantic

/c or /copypasta - copypasta

/ly - lyrics

/lh - light-hearted

/nm - not mad

/lu - little upset

/nbh - for when you're vagueposting or venting, but it's directed at nobody here [none of your followers, or people in chat, etc]

/nsb - not subtweeting

/nsx or /nx - non-s3xual intent

/rh or /rt - rhetorical question

/t - teasing

/ij - inside joke

/m - metaphorically

/li - literally

/hyp - hyperbole

/f - fake

/th - threat

/cb -clickbate

*bumping to stay on p1 ^^