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.

  • kelpie_returns@lemmy.world
    781·
    3 days ago

    It’s a joke. They are pretending they can’t remember the very obvious/absurd/silly/etc thing, so they have to check their notes before finishing the thought.

    I think it might have its origin in courtroom dramas having prosecutors being catty with the defense but that’s just a barely informed guess tbh

  • Mothra@mander.xyz
    471·
    3 days ago

    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.

    • justsomeguy@lemmy.world
      15·
      3 days ago

      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.

      • Fredthefishlord@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        2·
        3 days ago

        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

      • XeroxCool@lemmy.world
        2·
        3 days ago

        OK but the dictionary literally modified the definition to I clude “figuratively” because language is alive and unwell

        • Odo@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1·
          2 days ago

          That “modern” definition of literally is at least 250 years old. It wasn’t created by the internet, or even any living person.

  • rtxn@lemmy.world
    35·
    3 days ago

    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.

  • XeroxCool@lemmy.world
    14·
    3 days ago

    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 way

    They 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.

  • andros_rex@lemmy.world
    5·
    2 days ago

    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.

  • Owl@mander.xyz
    191·
    3 days ago

    When something is really unbelievable (or sarcasticly unbelievable) people add “checks notes” to signify that they had to check their notes (figuratively) to make sure that they aren’t saying something false

  • deadcatbounce@reddthat.com
    5·
    3 days ago

    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.