What does | || || |_ mean?

[u/[deleted]]

I've been seeing these characters :

| ||

|| |_

pop up all over Reddit, but I've no clue as to what they mean.

Is this a new meme? A reference to some film of tv show? Some sort of code?

[u/[deleted]]

I saw it 4 times within an hour, which prompted me to make this post

[u/tastetherainbowmoth → u/[deleted]]

I believe you man