Faux HTML Tags
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OP (name redacted) Has anyone noticed that Twitter-style hashtags have replaced HTML-style coding as meta-commentary on the internet? —Fail Blog
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HTML is the markup language that powers the internet. Every web page uses it or technology that builds upon it. It also happens to be very simple to pick up: make an opening tag with <tag>, then close it by inserting a / in front of the tag name, like </tag>. On blogs and Internet discussion forums, some participants uses the SGML-style tags popularized by HTML, or sometimes even BB Code-style tags, to accentuate their messages by mimicking the style and syntax of semantic HTML, where tags communicate their purpose (e.g. <summary>, <nav> for navigation; <article> happens to be a real tag that can be found on the MDN Web Docs).
Common examples of Faux HTML Tags made up for this purpose include <sarcasm>...</sarcasm> and <rant>...</rant>. Sometimes these Faux HTML Tags can include attributes such as <flame tone="angry">...</flame>. Often only the closing tag will be present as a kind of self-conscious lampshade hung on the preceding flame/rant/what-have-you type of post. These can also be used in Image Macros and other humorous images, such as a man with "</head> <body>" tattooed on his neck or a tombstone with "</life>"; this gallery on icanhascheezburger.com provides many examples. </unsubscribe> is also occasionally used on Usenet to indicate that one is unsubscribing from a thread, though the semantically correct usage would be either </subscribe> (to indicate that the subscription is ending) or <unsubscribe /> (with an XML empty tag to indicate an unsubscription).
This used to be done with faux C preprocessor directives, e.g.:
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#ifdef FLAME |
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but that usage has largely been supplanted by more-approachable HTML.
Also known as Ostensible Markup Language [dead link], although it's not the only meaning of that phrase.
Real Life
- Adam Savage of Mythbusters frequently wears a T-shirt that states <mythbuster> "Am I missing an eyebrow?" </mythbuster>.
- Anti-war candidate Darcy Burner wore a T-shirt with </WAR> on it in several photos.
- As mentioned in the article, on many forum trends. There are simply too many of them to list and we'll be here all day.
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