Poe's law

[ pohz law ]

noun

1. an adage of internet culture stating that unless some tone indicator is used, it is impossible to tell the difference between an extreme view being sincerely espoused and an extreme view being satirized.

Word History and Origins

Origin of Poe's law¹

First recorded in 2015–20; named after Nathan Poe, who posted a comment in 2005 on a Christian internet forum, noting almost certain ambiguity when satirizing a creationist

Example Sentences

This confusion is in keeping with Poe’s Law, an Internet culture maxim that suggests that parody and sincerity are indistinguishable online, because it’s impossible to know the author’s intent.

From Washington Post

To understand how, you have to understand Poe’s Law.

From Washington Post

Poe’s law became a reference point for any situation on the Internet where you can’t truly tell someone’s motives or intentions, It explains how “just trolling” has become a powerful cover for unironic expressions of racism or extremist views online, said Ryan Milner, an associate professor at the College of Charleston who studies meme culture, in a 2017 interview with The Washington Post.

From Washington Post

Poe’s Law has been made manifest live in events from United States political protests started on Russian computer screens to Fyre Fest, the infamous festival that never happened, “produced” by the grifter Billy McFarland and the rapper Ja Rule.

From New York Times

She pointed to “Poe’s law” in slicing and dicing “misinfo” and “disinfo.”

From Seattle Times