The Art Of Twitter Comedy: Mastering The 7 Joke Structures

When it comes to comedy, Twitter has a certain beauty because it forces one to do a lot with very little. As comedian Paul F. Tompkins recently noted, the social network known for its 140-character limit has only "7 available joke structures." This observation highlights the unique challenge and creativity required to craft humor effectively within such constraints. The brevity of tweets encourages users to think outside the box and utilize their wit in a more succinct manner.

OK, there may be more than seven, but if you spend most waking hours glancing at your Twitter feed every few minutes (hi, media people), the constant repetition of such set-ups as "Name a more iconic duo. I'll wait" and "*Record scratch* *freeze frame* Yep, that’s me." can get old after a while. Yet, amidst this repetition, new formats often emerge, sparking a wave of creativity that captures the attention of the Twitterverse.

Luckily, a new Twitter joke structure—which could also be considered a Twitter meme—will emerge once in a blue moon, prompting a frenzy of posts following the same format for approximately 48 hours. Right now, Twitter is going wild over a post format involving soundbites. The genesis of the format appears to be this tweet, posted by @minimalisthue on Monday evening. Using cleverly placed emojis and M-dashes, @minimalisthue makes the tweet appear to contain two embedded sound recordings. (For the record, embedding actual sound files into a tweet is impossible.)

At the risk of overexplaining the joke, the tweet is a funny commentary on how men are quicker to get defensive over sexist behavior than to defend women who are being harassed. Since that tweet appeared, other Twitter users have latched onto the format—using a short timestamp and a long timestamp to tell a joke—and run with it, creating a barrage of "sound recording" tweets on all sorts of topics. This new trend showcases the adaptability of humor as it evolves with social media platforms.

It’s unclear how long this tweet format/meme will stay relevant. But knowing how fickle Twitter can be, you had better get all your silly sound recording jokes out there while you still can—or at least while you can still trick people into thinking it’s an actual soundbite embedded in a tweet. The fleeting nature of humor on social media means that capturing the moment is essential. So, let’s dive into the specifics of these joke structures and how they can be utilized effectively!