![Illustration of a woman texting while surrounded by chat bubbles and exclamation points](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/bdb5786/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1988x1325+5+0/resize/2000x1333!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F0b%2Fc7%2F83983d0f4602a15197ba92d09f7a%2Fla-times-exclamation-points-lede-image.jpg)
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
![Comic panel with an illustration of an email from a "boss" to an employee](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/2a507d6/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x980+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F6b%2F4e%2F703397b54387be651f7558843ffd%2Fla-times-exclamation-points-2-01-01.jpg)
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
![Comic panel of an email with the "send" button prominent at the bottom](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/340c94f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x980+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fdb%2Fbc%2Fc15faba94e70bde27edc2d69194d%2Fla-times-exclamation-points-2-01-02.jpg)
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
![Comic panel about with an illustration of hands typing on a keyboard.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/555db0f/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x980+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F36%2F42%2Fcd080bf5474ca01714c21135134d%2Fla-times-exclamation-points-2-01-03.jpg)
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
![Comic panel of a disheartening text exchange with a potential voter](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b52c116/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x980+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F5e%2F88%2Fc59e2f1c4aa18cfaabe591ec2124%2Fla-times-exclamation-points-2-01-04.jpg)
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
![Comic panel of a woman lying on a couch awake with dread](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/92686a0/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x980+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe6%2F6f%2Fed0fdcf04b5a886ab3e98ff4c5fb%2Fla-times-exclamation-points-2-01-05.jpg)
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
![Comic panel describing increasingly emphatic text responses](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/4f1e3d3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x980+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F27%2F12%2Fa3e42c38460bb9762b25e6184013%2Fla-times-exclamation-points-2-01-06.jpg)
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
![Comic panel of an enthusiastic text exchange about voting using all caps and multiple exclamation points](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/bd19bcd/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x980+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F75%2Fe4%2F103ef00140498172364f1f2fec6c%2Fla-times-exclamation-points-2-01-07.jpg)
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
![Comic panel of a woman responding to all kinds of text messages with emphatic punctuation and all caps](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/16b766d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x980+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4c%2Fcd%2Fa0490b9c4c8f971177042240d377%2Fla-times-exclamation-points-2-01-08.jpg)
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
![Comic panel of a typewriter showing an exclamation point typed as an apostrophe over a period](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/47d7883/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x980+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff4%2F0d%2F4affe429409cb50ee8a71d057d35%2Fla-times-exclamation-points-2-01-09.jpg)
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
![Comic panel showing how the Latin word "io," meaning "joy," morphed into an exclamation point](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e32a4d8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x980+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7b%2Fb1%2F23e592ea42e4aad3375a7b06ce30%2Fla-times-exclamation-points-2-01-10.jpg)
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
![Comic panel showing two laptop facing each other with hands typing on each keyboard](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f4d0d4c/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x980+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fbf%2F6e%2F8a65e37e49a19e202d66130c9402%2Fla-times-exclamation-points-2-01-11.jpg)
(Kristen Radtke / For The Times)
![Comic panel of a woman typing enthusiastically with exclamation points in the background](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/983f200/2147483647/strip/true/crop/980x980+0+0/resize/2000x2000!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb4%2F28%2Fa9eced1e4311a65aa8b83bfe1d61%2Fla-times-exclamation-points-2-01-12.jpg)
(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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