Oh, SO Sarcastic: Diverse Strategies for Being Sarcastic

Abstract

Sarcasm has been defined in a plethora of different ways, but too often the definitions hinge on researchers’ own perceptions of what constitutes sarcasm or verbal irony, and not enough on the perceptions of people producing the sarcastic content. We asked people (N = 82) to transform internet forum posts to make them sarcastic without providing information about what sarcasm is. Participants then critically examined their creations. People identified a variety of strategies that they use to communicate sarcasm in writing. A content analysis of written productions by eight raters confirmed the use of these strategies, several of which were more likely than by chance alone to be present alongside sarcasm. Results are useful for understanding sarcasm production, comprehension, and linguistic rapport.