It had been close to a decade since I stepped into the world of the Internet. And of course, back then when mIRC was still the hottest thing in town, my very first exposure to webchat is on mIRC. Back then I was a noob (newbie), so there were a lot of shorthands that I very unfamiliar with. I will always try to guess what the shorthand meant first, and only when I am very sure that I am definitely not going to get it, then I will ask what the shorthand means. "lol" was one of them that I could not get what it stands for. Why? That is clearly because I would never expect anyone in the right mind to be laughing out loud in front of a computer. But I didn't really bother about it and even began to use the shorthand.

The Abuse

So when did the idea that we should stop abusing "lol" came to me. It was when I stumbled upon (yes using StumbleUpon) this site called nomorelol.com. It talked about how in the past decade, people are misrepresenting themselves by "lol"ing over stuffs that are supposed to be funny. Furthermore, "lol" had even become punctuation to some users. They use "lol" every now and then. nomorelol.com calls these people "lol" addicts. For example, someone might say, "Today's weather sucks! lol...". Yes, I had seen such lines before. Perhaps they are unaware that they are putting "lol", and it had become a habit to include "lol" before pressing the "Enter" key. Over the years, different and more exaggerated forms of "lol" evolved, such as, "rolf" and "lmao"; these are expressions that are even misrepresentative. Well, I admit that I was one of the abusers, but from now on, I will make it a point to stop "lol"ing unless I am really laughing out loud.

The Solution

Ok, so if we are not going to use "lol", then what can we use? nomorelol.com is suggesting that we should use "loi", laughing on the inside. I think it is pretty appropriate. I am thinking we can still use the traditional "haha" to represent that we are laughing to an extent. Are you one of those abusers? Do you "lol" every now and then? And is the content so funny that you are really laughing out loud? Lol.. Oops. Haha...

 

“LOL” has many meanings. Its most common meaning is “laugh out loud,” or “lots of laughs.” One uses this expression when he or she thinks that what is being said is funny. For example, “person A” could say, “Yesterday I accidentally ate two slugs during my grandmother's graduation party.” In which case “person B” might respond, “LOL.”

“LOL”'s original meaning has changed. And now the term is used in the way that the person who is saying it is not in reality commenting on the humor of the earlier statement. In fact, the person saying it rarely thinks that the statement is funny at all. Whatever he really means by “LOL” is often infused with sarcasm or irony and largely hidden behind his computer screen.

Depending on its context, the implied definition may vary. Sometimes “LOL” is used when the person speaking has nothing useful to contribute to the conversation. For instance, if “person A” were speaking to “person B” about his hamster's death, when “person B” had no interest in his hamster's death at all, he might almost haphazardly type in “LOL” to sound interested.

“LOL” has become used so much during instant message conversations, that an online discussion is not considered a true online discussion unless “LOL” can be found within it. That being said, some people just type in “LOL” randomly, as if to ensure the authenticity of the online conversation. They feel that without the use of this so-commonly-used slang term, their conversation is dull and pointless. “LOL” is also used so much because it has become engraved in people's minds and they are almost drawn to the idea of just typing “LOL.” This is somewhat similar to typing “Hm”, while thinking of a reply.

Sometimes I feel that “LOL” is taking over everything. Like most trends, it began as a novelty, a barely recognized slang word. Soon came the beginning of Internet chatting, and with it, the meteoric growth in the use of “LOL.” It began as a rarely used term, falling behind the peaking “bb (bye bye)” and “gtg (got to go)” From there it slowly rose, passing the plunging “jk (just kidding)” and “idk (I don't know).” Eventually it reached its apex, as one of the most-used words during Internet chatting.

Soon it will be in the English dictionary, right in between “Lok Sabha (the lower house of the parliament of India)” and “loliginid (of or belonging to a family of long-bodied cylindrical squids).” It will be translated into every language, from A-ch'ang to Zyrian. Eventually, “LOL” might have its own acronym, and will be shortened to just “L.” Then “LOL” will become so popular that it will aspire to its own button on the keyboard.

Slowly that button will grow to the size of the spacebar, to make it more convenient and easy to push. Soon enough “LOL” will have its own button on the mouse right in between the right and left clicker. Before long, there will be movies and television shows about “LOL.” There will be “LOL” fashion lines and action figures. There will be “LOL” mugs, shot glasses and alarm clocks (batteries not included). Parents will name their dogs, and eventually their children “LOL.” Congress will pass a law that only someone named “LOL” can become president, and ultimately, “LOL” will rule the world!

Until then, I can do nothing but stare at my computer screen and watch those “LOL”s fill the screen.

Since ancient times, humans have always tried to make words shorter and easier to use. This is known as "Shorthand"

Well today, you can find out all you need and should know about the word "LOL" and much more.

A lot of people use this word; it derived during the age of computers and online communication. Some people say Bill gates invented it, which is a myth and possibly wrong. The person that created it is unknown and cannot be proven. However "LOL" did start during the creation of online communication for faster and easier typing. This word grew around the world as more people used it and spread its meaning.

Today, this word is used commonly online, and sometimes in real life. The word has grown into our English vocabulary and might someday be included in all or most dictionaries.

This word is no questionably the most common used abbreviation in real life other than street, roads etc.

There are very little facts about this word, scientific studies have shown that the word could have been created in USA or Russia or the UK but isn't accurate enough to make a decision.

People have us ed this word in real life saying "LOL" - Pronounced “Loll”. Many people see these people as nerds, geeks, computer freaks and much more, but more and more of people are using it even though they are not "Lolling" themselves in real life. It's a simple 3 lettered word which is changing history.