A Mental Aside - Gesture On the Net

It may definitely be understood that we are able to express emotion and gesture through writing and specifically through the internet. However, the interpretation of the devices that we use to convey such things as inflection cues or hand-gestures are just as likely to be misunderstood. Did you read the italicized portion of my first sentence with a mental elongation of the words? That reading would be entirely appropriate under a certain context, especially one in which I was trying to emphasize sarcasm as much as possible. But, implying that italics is sometimes a valid method for expressing sarcasm is not a universal opinion, nor extend to all groups of internet users. It often seems to be the case that an individual’s comprehension of more advanced forms of internet parlance is based upon that individual’s experience with the specific mode of communication he or she is using, whether that be e-mail, instant messaging, or a favorite message board. That may indicate the presence of something more akin to a lexicon of etiquette than anything else. ON THE OTHER HAND, I MAY HAVE JUST SPENT TIME ADDRESSING A COMPLETELY OBVIOUS ISSUE. Sorry, didn’t mean to get passionate there.

To the main question of the topic, how one might express physical gestures through the net, the most common example that comes to mind would be what I can accomplish if I use parentheses to encapsulate a small idea, or fact into a larger context. How many people equate the use of such parentheses to the similar physical action of cupping one hand around your mouth and speaking softly? (Maybe you might even turn your head away from the subject of your softer comment) I’d call that “an aside” in regular conversation and it usually comes to mind often when I think I see it being expressed through black text.