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Op-Ed: How many exclamation points are too many?

Illustration of a woman texting while surrounded by chat bubbles and exclamation points
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
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Comic panel with an illustration  of an email from a "boss" to an employee
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
Comic panel of an email with the "send" button prominent at the bottom
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
Comic panel about with an illustration of hands typing on a keyboard.
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
Comic panel of a disheartening text exchange with a potential voter
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
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Comic panel of a woman lying on a couch awake with dread
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
Comic panel describing increasingly emphatic text responses
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
Comic panel of an enthusiastic text exchange about voting using all caps and multiple exclamation points
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
Comic panel of a woman responding to all kinds of text messages with emphatic punctuation and all caps
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
Comic panel of a typewriter showing an exclamation point typed as an apostrophe over a period
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
Comic panel showing how the Latin word "io," meaning "joy," morphed into an exclamation point
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
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Comic panel showing two laptop facing each other with hands typing on each keyboard
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
Comic panel of a woman typing enthusiastically with exclamation points in the background
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)

Kristen Radtke is the author of two books, including “Seek You: A Journey Through American Loneliness.” She is the art director at The Verge. @kristenradtke

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