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LOL

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Joined
May 16, 2008
Location
Kentucky, USA
I'm sure most people here use "LOL" almost every day of their lives. Question: Have you ever stopped to think about what that phrase means now? I have. Quite often actually. It started out to mean "laugh out loud", and was/is just an abbreviated, first person verb. Originally, only used when one would actually laugh at something. But not anymore.

Now days, I use "lol" strictly as a filler. Its actually quite fascinating how people react when you do not use the phrase. People think you are upset, or that something is wrong. Test it out, if you haven't. Go on a messenger, and have a normal conversation with someone and don't type "lol" not once. They will either not talk back (assumingly because they believe you don't want to talk to them, or that something is wrong with you), and it all spawns from an absense of "lol".

Honestly, I rarely actually "lol" in real life. As I said, I only use it as a "filler". If someone says something that I don't have a real response to, I just type "lol". It acknowledges to that person that I read what they said, and that's all it really does anymore. But seriously, try to not use the phrase, or any like it some time, and see what you get out of it. I'd also like to hear people's thoughts on this as well.
 
Joined
May 25, 2008
Location
In my house
Yes.

When I first came to the internet, lol used to mean something. But soon enough it just became so overused by me, and everyone else, that now i just it when something is a little bit funny, but nothing too important. LOL I rarely use, because quite honestly nothing is ever that funny.

Yes.
 

Shnappy

derp
Joined
Feb 2, 2009
Location
Colorado
Ah, man, I completely agree on this. I've never really used "lol" when I was actually laughing out loud. When I'm actually laughing out loud, because of what someone said on the internet, I'll type it in all caps and repeat it a few times, like LOLOLOLOLOL, or something like that. It seems most people on the internet have developed a habit of using "lol" after most everything they say that is remotely funny in any way. People seem to not like it when you don't say lol... But I've never payed attention to this subject much, but now that I think of it, I totally agree with you.
 

Silver

The Blue Bomber!
Joined
Sep 19, 2009
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Ganon's Tower
"Lol" Has been overused to much, and your right Darklink. I don't use "lol", and the person thinks I'm upset or are enraged at them. It's completely stupid, if you really think about it, "lol" is like overrated in my opinion.
 
Joined
Sep 13, 2009
Location
?
"LOL" and/or "Lawl" really doesn't mean anything anymore, like you have said. Though LOL actually stands for "Laughing out loud", it is only ever used as a filler. I used to use it like that, too. Yet, that was back before my Grammar Nazi days, back when I was 12-ish. I would type all sorts of stuff that bother me to no end now.

What's funny is that almost everyone I know uses "LOL." I have a few good friends who don't, but most do use it. It's quite saddening, considering how meaningless the term is, and how it's misused. My friends on Yahoo (who don't come on anymore) type it in every single cotton-pickin' IM. I swear. I never do. And my friends must have gotten used to it, because they always respond. I do believe, however, that if I had gotten into the habit of using it, then stopped, they would believe something was wrong. Why? Because my posting habits just changed.

Whenever I don't have a response to something, I type "No comment," or something similar. Or I change the subject. But I've resolved not to use any of that "text speak." By this, I simply mean terms such as "LOL," "OMG," etc. I type out everything I say, and I say what I mean. That is how it was meant to be.
 

Silver

The Blue Bomber!
Joined
Sep 19, 2009
Location
Ganon's Tower
I type out everything I say, and I say what I mean. That is how it was meant to be.

I in fact agree, I don't specifically use the abbreviations of Internet slang, instead, I type out the whole word(s), it really isn't a hassle, just some extra work. I found it more better to be formal then to use slang.
 

basement24

There's a Bazooka in TP!
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Feb 28, 2009
Location
Ontario, Canada
I think it's one of those terms that help people accept the impersonalness of writing back and forth. Often times, I will use smileys to help show that I am in a happy mood or am smiling while typing something just to show that it isn't a cold answer or one to be taken negatively.

I'll also over compensate on making sure people know things about how I feel on the subject. You'll often see me saying "Don't get me wrong, I love (Insert Zelda game title) but I just wasn't a fan of (whatever)."

As for LOL, I'm not a big fan of it. I tend to write "Hahaha!" myself because it actaully feels like laughter instead of the form reply that LOL has become. Really, even if I write "Hahaha!" then I'm just chuckling to myself, not boisterously laughing out loud. I know some people genuinely use LOL because they were LOL'ing, but really all Internet speak of the like bothers me to an extent.
 
Joined
May 16, 2008
Location
Kentucky, USA
As for LOL, I'm not a big fan of it. I tend to write "Hahaha!" myself because it actaully feels like laughter instead of the form reply that LOL has become. Really, even if I write "Hahaha!" then I'm just chuckling to myself, not boisterously laughing out loud. I know some people genuinely use LOL because they were LOL'ing, but really all Internet speak of the like bothers me to an extent.

That's me. I have been using the "haha" thing more so lately, because I'm so sick of "lol". Not that I'm using "haha" in place of "lol"'s empty meaningness, but rather when I actually think something is funny.

Its like if one of my friends says something like "I just knocked my brains out on (insert random object here)" I'll think that's pretty funny, and should be given a good "ha". If they say something like "I hate doing this homework", it tends to get an "lol", when I don't really think that's funny at all. Its just acknowledging that I too, hate homework. Or simply, that I understand what they are trying to say. But I am trying to break myself from it.
 

Nepolink

Corrupted Idiot
Joined
Aug 20, 2009
Location
The Netherlands
Yeah i totally agree, the ''lol'' is just overused and meanless. I'm on a forum where you read the term ''lol'' almost everywhere. I have to say i use the filler often but that's because people are sticking me to use it. i really dislike those terms anyway, the same for ''OMG'' ''RLY'' ''GAWD'' and all the overused filler. I shall never say those things in real life, it's more comfortable to use ''Haha'' instead of ''lol'', just because you laugh as a normal person in RL.

Almost al my friends are using this, on the other forum they are just spamming with those terms. Automatically i do the same and use it by myself while i never used this before. I started with ''lol'' when i was 17 or something. I'll use ''XD'' more, i remember it started as a simply smiley with the XD face. Now i can't start a conversation without using the XD. So i can easly start a conversation without ''lol'' but not without ''XD'' i don't know if more people are using XD here, but i think it's familair to the term lol.

You are totally right DarkLink on the ''People are thinking you are upset'' subject. I was talking with my friends and didn't use the overused terms a while ago. After a short talk they started to ask ''is something happened to you?'' I had to answer i was really happy and how did they come up with that. ''You sounds not....happy'' was their reaction after that. How can i sound sad while i was talking normally? I really have to use the term XD if i wanted to start a normal talk with them. Now i must think about it it's really sad to use a term like that to give a happy impression to my friends.
I really want to use ''Haha'' more than XD or LOL
 

DisappearingMist

Mrs. Caleb
Joined
Aug 20, 2008
Location
Alaska
I definitely use it as a filler. I tend to use "haha" more though. Sometimes I actually do laugh out loud, buy many times it is because I am genuinely amused. But if the conversation is lagging, I will use "lol" to keep it going.
 
Joined
Sep 13, 2009
Location
?
As for LOL, I'm not a big fan of it. I tend to write "Hahaha!" myself because it actaully feels like laughter instead of the form reply that LOL has become. Really, even if I write "Hahaha!" then I'm just chuckling to myself, not boisterously laughing out loud. I know some people genuinely use LOL because they were LOL'ing, but really all Internet speak of the like bothers me to an extent.
This describes me in a heartbeat. I prefer smilies to "LOL" "ROFL" and other slang, because it seems friendlier, in a way. I also find typing "Hehe" or the like feels a lot more like laughter than "LOL" does. If I do chuckle about something, or even genuinely LOL, I don't type the word. Rather, I type "Hehe" usually. Similar to the smilies, it seems friendlier, and certainly more formal, than "LOL." ^^
 

Clucluclu

Time for waffles
Joined
Jul 9, 2009
Location
Los Angeles
I have rarely ever used the term "lol". The reason is that I hardly eveer really lol when I am alone. Only when something is downright hilarious. And now, as you said, it is preetty overused, so I try to never use it to help balance that out.
 
B

Bongo Bongo

Guest
lol has turned into a way of saying "I'm kidding" or "that was funny" or just a way to lighten up what you are saying.
I used to only use it when I actually laughed out loud(which wasn't often) but now it's just a way of sounding more friendly I guess.
Like the OP said, people tend to think that there's something wrong if you don't put lol somewhere in your sentence. It's so weird.
:thinking:
 

Neo

The One
Joined
Sep 3, 2009
Location
Florida
Ahh the lol.
I don't like pointless abbreviations and, as such, will simply type "haha." I especially hate seeing it on forums. It just really gets on my nerves when you type like a 13-year old. Even if you are 13, it's still stupid.

Makes being a site admin tricky, though. I have to restrain myself from infracting people for it! It's that bad.
The one thing I'm okay with is smilies. They don't bother me at all :)
 

Bob Majinki

Deku Director
Joined
Feb 15, 2009
Location
USA
I never use lol, I simply use hahaha.
I'm trying to reduce my emoticon usage. Even before that though, I have never used lol. Whenever I do use it, people freak out.
 
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