Essays · · 5 min read
Emoji Semantics: 😏 vs 😉 vs 🥵
A breakdown of the smirk, the wink, and the sweat face in replies, and why the smirk emoji carries an unbearable amount of presumption.
Essays.
Notes from the bin.
Essays · · 5 min read
The Reply Guy in Movies and TV
Long before social media notifications, cinema and television built entire comic plots around men who simply could not take a hint.
Essays · · 5 min read
Attention Is the Currency and Her Post Is the Bank
An essay on the basic economics of the unsolicited reply, why men deposit comments under strangers' posts, and who actually pays the transaction fee.
Essays · · 5 min read
Why the Internet Invented the Reply Guy
Public replies and personal notifications let a stranger turn an ordinary post into an unwanted conversation. The design makes that interruption easy.
Essays · · 6 min read
A Short History of the Pickup Line
A look at how men have deployed rehearsed romantic openers across two millennia, from Roman graffiti and Ovid to telegraph wires and the comment section.
Essays · · 5 min read
The Case for Leaving Her Pasta Alone
A modest proposal for letting women post a photo of dinner without offering to taste it, critique the sauce, or turn rigatoni into an awkward audition.