The article discusses the features of modern punctuation in public discourse, the aggressive expansion of the dash and the replacement of the colon with it. The opposition “correct / incorrect” punctuation which determined the language situation in the second half of the the 20th century gave way to the opposition “school / real” at the beginning of the 21st century. The author notes that the substitution of a colon for a dash in most conjunctionless sentences may be caused by the weakening of causal relationships in the minds of speakers. It is suggested that the pattern of strategy of persuasion and influence on the addressee has changed: from the logic of the argument to transmitted emotion.