I avoided them for years, preferring to leave my intention ambiguous, especially if in dialogue between very good friends and me we could get onlookers to think "WTAF!?" because we were so rude and direct.
I've been partially persuaded by the discussions of them as providing alternative paralinguistic clues in written exchanges, that they do have a value in signposting certain things (such as droll humour such as suggesting someone in their 70s might be forgetful).
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