Mixed Signals · No. 12
What does “lol” mean?
From Taylor, a friend, two hours after you sent a long message about your rough week
lol
It could mean
- Not really listening
- Busy, and meaning to reply later
- Laughing with you
What was going on
Taylor read it on the bus, laughed at your story about the landlord, and meant to write a real reply once they got home.
This message and its story are made up. Real messages don’t come with the story.Ask before you answer
Text loses tone, so a short message can read harsher, or softer, than it was meant. Before you answer, ask what they meant. That’s Check before assuming, one of the principles Porcupine is built on.
What research says
In five experiments, people overestimated how well their tone (sarcasm, seriousness, anger) came across over email. They “heard” the tone they meant, and found it hard to imagine reading the message without it.
Got a real text like this? Run a Quills Check.
Paste it. I’ll show you a few ways it could be read, and what you could ask instead of guessing. Writing your own? Switch to “I’m sending it” and I’ll show you if the quills are up.
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Find the words with Porcupine
The Quills Check helps with one text. Porcupine helps with the whole conversation, from what you ask through their reply. It’s coming soon, and we’ll let you know when it’s ready.
Every message and story in Mixed Signals is made up.