I rail against LOL constantly, but I always use it. It’s a great diffuser at the end of a statement, taking “I’m gonna beat the shit outta him” to “I’m gonna beat the shit outta him lol”. One is an idle threat, one is more of a lighthearted exclamation of emotion.
As linguician (I think that’s the word for a linguistics person….linguini?) John McWhorter says, ‘LOL’ and other terms “signal basic empathy between texters. What began as signifying laughter morphed into easing tension and creating a sense of equality.”
McWhorter cites evidence of a similar trend seeping into spoken language too, with “I know right?” and “you know what I’m sayin?” becoming commonplace phrases.
But McWhorter says that while LOL is on its way out (finally), the language of texting is here to stay:
Worldwide, people speak differently than they write, and texting — quick, casual and only intended to be read once — is actually a way of talking with your fingers. All indications are that America’s youth are doing it quite well. Texting is not the mangling of language — it’s the birth of a new one.
That’s pretty fuckin scary lol
