Why do people keep adding this to their comments? Are they checking notes? Why do they feel the need to point it out if they are? Why are they saying they are if they aren’t? It’s like me adding “scratching head” to my comment, which I just did, but I have no idea why that adds anything to the conversation.
It’s just a fad. Speech mannerisms also come and go with the times. Right now it’s popular to use it, and people use it.
And with all fads, it’s cyclical. But on the internet, things move quicker so instead of 20-30 years, it’s more like 5-10.
It do be like that. Many of them get repeated till they reach a critical point and everyone is sick of them. Some of them are harder to tolerate than others though. I can deal with people ‘checking notes’ here and there but those who use “literally” as every second word in their sentences awaken a primal rage inside of me that is yearning for rock to split skull. Luckily that trend isn’t as prevalent as it used to be back in the day.
OK but the dictionary literally modified the definition to I clude “figuratively” because language is alive and unwell
there but those who use “literally” as every second word in their sentences awaken a primal rage inside of me that is yearning for rock to split skull.
I hard agree. Misuse of literal is a problem many decades old and it hurts still
They used to say that prior to the computer phones. Now it is an antiquated saying that people use for fun.
Checks notes it’s for dramatization, joke, etc.
For dramatization, when some event is so stupidly, unexpectedly bizarre that you have to check your figurative notes to make sure you’re not just remembering a fever dream. Example:
America is rolling back renewable energy development to promote the use of beautiful, clean… (checks notes…) coal, of all fucking things.
Its similar to a dramtic… . . . . . . . .
…
… … pause!
checks notes
Not sure I didn’t write anything down I was just doodling
Check your autism, maybe you’ll figure it out
At least it’s becoming less common for people to start comments with “Imagine…”
[looks to audience]
Imagine being this concerned about typed memes
Imagine all the people
I wonder if you can
Life, uh, finds a way Life… Finds a way Life [checks notes] finds a way
Life, finds a way Life [deep breath] finds a way Life [lean away from the microphone to breathe in] finds a way Life [scratches head] finds a way?
Life [gestures vaguely to day care center] finds a wayThey are performative modifiers to add visual context to text. Imagine you’re reading a script for a play. The author adds notes like some of the examples above, in a similar format, in order to better convey what they want the actors to do, by text alone, to better convey the author’s intent to the audience.
I see it as “Looks back at history and sigh heavily” but with fewer words.
Hell, I remember a time people just said “um”, “er” quietly and paused between words when they hadn’t thought the thought through.
Instead now they use ‘like’ as a space between words whilst the processing is still taking place.
It gets real confusing when what they’re explaining is the concept of similes.
We all got our verbal tics. Also an attempt to add some more complexity to our communication, since we’re missing things like facial expressions or body language or environmental cues.
it actually reached its peak in 2018 per this slate article: https://slate.com/technology/2018/08/checks-notes-was-the-perfect-trump-era-twitter-joke-lets-let-it-die.html
It was a big Twitter meme, like Yo Dawg I Heard You Like…, or Hawk Tuah, or Trogdor or whatever. People hear funny thing, repeat funny thing.
checks notes
It’s 80+ pages that only say “fuck”
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Personally, I initially saw a version of it in Sluggy Freelance.
And every courtroom drama, like checks notes My Cousin Vinny.
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Check the notes.