I’m kinda used to all the abbrieviations, when i started using the net i had no idea what i was doing (some say i still dont) so i just did what everyone else did, now its ingrained on my brain.
The one thing that does annoy me is when my dad says bye to me, he doesnt say ‘bye’, ‘cya’, ‘catch ya later’. No, that would be too easy and normal, every single goddamn freakin time we say goodbye he has to end it with TTFN. Not even saying the actual words, just the initials…shits me to no end.
I’ve never liked “LOL”, it just seems to juvenile and droll. It’s like an online laughtrack, when something’s funny, the obligatory “LOL” pops up. It’s always L, O, then another L, there can’t be any other way to write it. Sure, you could vary the case, or add punctuation to the end, but it’ll always be the same old “LOL.” To me, LOL doesn’t capture the raw emotion of human laughter. Even in just text, laughter can be expressed in so many ways. There’s “Haha” “Heh” “Tee hee” “ahahaha” and “Mauahahhaa!” and others. LOL just seems to say “Yes, I have acknoledged that what you have said is funny.” I get this image in which people are having conversations in a monotone voice to each other,“I tripped and fell on my face.” “LOL.”
When people use it sparingly, I don’t mind it, but it really gets on my nerves when people use it all the time, and use it to point out the comedy in what THEY say. As if “I tripped and fell on my face” isn’t funny enough, they have to tell you it’s funny by saying “I tripped and fell on my face lol.”
Emoticons I don’t mind as much, but when people go overboard with those then it just gets stupid. I understand if what you’re saying is a joke, a smilie will let the other user know, or if you’re sad about an event, a will emphasize that. But with some people I wonder how their face doesn’t fall apart with the apparent wide range of emotions these people go through during a normal conversation.
And don’t get me started on the intentional typos some people use like “teh” and “pr0n.”
The last time this happened to me was during Seabiscuit. I wasn’t laughing, though. The guy behind me TASERed me for talking on my cell phone during the movie.
I think any “body language” crutch like LOL or becomes cloying if used too frequently. I imagine that at the beginning, LOL served a useful function. Now it generally evokes the image of a twelve year old gleefully typing, trying to be cool. That’s my reaction anyway.
My 19 year old daughter, for example, uses “tee hee” all too often in her IMs to me from college. It sometimes makes me want to metaphorically slap her silly.
On the other hand, sparse usage of a method to indicate the emotion behind the words can be useful and enriching. I will sometimes parenthetically use (smile) or (grin); or more specifically (warm smile) or (mischievous grin) or (sly snicker) or (sarcastic smirk). I’ll do it only if I think the text itself could be misinterpreted, or if I feel a need to reinforce the words with “body language”.
You know, I’ve never really thought of the use of LOL. I think Algernon hit it on the head … its when LOL or any of its like gets overused that it really gets annoying. And, as was pointed out in the OP, you almost never see LOL around here …
Hmmm, but you do see OP a heck of a lot!! How long until someone gets annoyed with that?
As to anagrams that don’t literally apply to what we’re doing, like using ROTFLMAO when you’re not actually ROTF … I suppose we could always replace it with PIROTFLMAO (“Pretending I’m …”) :dubious:
Yes, apart from the way “LOL” looks, and the overuse of it, some of my irritation is with the massive overstatement - even more so with stuff like ROTFLMAO.
May I suggest “HOAWS” - Hint Of A Wry Smile…
I also agree with the people who pointed out that “LOL” is often used quite arbitrarily and incorrectly, as in “I woke up this morning and felt blue LOL” or “How are you doing LOL”. I have actually seen stuff like this.
I only use LOL when I have actually Laughed Out Loud. In responding to a joke that made me smile, I might type “Ha!” or snort or somehting like that, but if you see LOL in one of my posts or in an e-mail, I was actually sitting there at my computer giggling like an idiot, and I wanted to you to know, because your joke really brightened my day.
It drives me up the wall to read anything with LOL sprinkled through it like it’s the new comma or something. If you are laughing out loud at stuff that you yourself are typing and moreover you feel compelled to tell other people how goddamn funny you find yourself, how amused you are at the stream of humor flowing from your own fingertips, how consistently and uproariously hi-larious you are in your own mind, that is just beyond lame.
I imagine people don’t mean it like that, and they are really laughing out loud as the write, but that’s the impression it makes on me.
And don’t me started on ROTFL. If you aren’t, then don’t freakin’ type it.
LMAO is okay, as I do not take it literally. (Hey, I never claimed to be fair or consistent.)
smilie will let the other user know, or if you’re sad about an event, a 
will emphasize that. But with some people I wonder how their face doesn’t fall apart with the apparent wide range of emotions these people go through during a normal conversation.
