Is “lol” funny anymore?
John McWhorther dismisses the humor behind the expression in a recent column he shared online through CNN. “What began as signifying laughter morphed into easing tension and creating a sense of equality.”
Well here’s a test: Q: What’s a butler’s most favorite ringtone? A: The doorbell!
“Lol” is meant to be an indication of laughter. The acronym belongs before retweets and memes we share. If you have ever come across the Sloth Memes however, you would agree an“LMFAO” or “rotfl” is more suitable than a “lol”. That’s because, asMcWhother coveys, the widespread use of “lol” as a filler has altered its original intention and brings less attention to the humor within a situation.
The origins of “lol” date back prior to the invention of texting during a period 80’s and early 90’s babies can relate to best; a time when we left school with Slush Puppy stained mouths and Ask Jeeves was relevant. We’d arrive home to log into our instant messaging. Though we got rid of funky screen names and colored font, the way we communicated on AOL or AIM transgressed over to texting.
We used “lol” without frugality, inserting it wherever we so chose, even “hey lol.” Agreeably, McWhorther supports his claim that “Lol” is used more casually with no intent of conveying to have found any humor. However, this is not necessarily true.
For instance, when reading a duddy joke such as this one – Q: What do Usain Bolt and Jay-Zhave in common? A: Sprint on their most recent track – an “lol” would be appropriate.
But, because of its over use, commenting “lol” would not be interpreted for its literal abbreviation “laugh out loud” but as a way of acknowledging mediocre comedy. Most significantly, McWhorther argues “LOL is, of all things, grammar” and “Texting is not the mangling of language — it’s the birth of a new one.”
Just as certain grammar has adapted into texting it too has integrated into our everyday dialect. He explains this through analyzing the commonly used expression “Noam sayin” – as he puts it. Slang for what was once a seven word question “do you know what I am saying” has assimilated itself into our language in addition to many other expressions.
Quite accurate indeed! Social standards have forbidden the adoption of “lol” into grammar books, but it remains a challenge to not use “lol” vocally during conversations.
