Maybe I’m just pissy-minded.
That thought comes about because, just the other day, I almost (and entirely inadvertently, and I emphasize the ‘almost’) found myself using an ‘lol’ in response to somebody’s Facebook offering
WTF? (OK, I do use that one mainly because, like many former English teachers, I’m a profane sonofabitch).
Back to the subject. I have never used lol and don’t plan to. That’s primarily because very few things I’ve read to which lol is attached have actually evoked lol responses. I’m a well-humored person but I reserve my ‘out-loud’ laughter for the genuinely hilarious and otherwise utilize it judiciously. Ergo, lol is rarely accurate.
In fact the only time in my recall that lol was genuinely funny and actually made me laugh out loud was when boneheaded egomaniac Michael on The Office thought it was a word and used the expression “lawl-lawl” in reference to something or other.
Carrying it further, I have very rarely if ever rolled on the floor in merriment, as in ROFL. No, I’ll make that ‘never’ as opposed to rarely. I’ve laughed until tears ran down my cheeks, but never more than that.
And I’ve never laughed until anything ran down my legs as in the case of ROFLMAOPIMP. Now, come on, how many have actually rolled on the floor laughing your asses off and peeing in your pants? You have? Do you want people to know that? I know I wouldn’t.
In similar sense I have never used an emoticon. That’s probably just me. I’d simply rather say what I meant than symbolize it. I have cherished friends who use emoticons and I love them dearly and think nothing less of them for so doing. I just don’t choose to. Just like I don’t choose to take heroin, for example.
Much of the aforementioned is Tweet-Speak and I understand that brevity is the key to getting a little tiny message in a little tiny space. But, I don’t tweet, either. I might someday and I’ll confess to being periodically tempted, but until such time I’ll just write out my stuff in full.
And I still think so 
I’ve always thought ROFLMAO sounds like a committee to appoint a successor to Chairman Mao. (insert winking emoticon here.)
Brilliant. Love that, Dinah. You think lke I do.
although there have been times when I have literally laughed out loud at something, I have never, and will never, used lol. there are blogs I refuse to read because the writer insists on inserting it with almost every sentence, like, when someone, like, absentmindedly keeps saying, like, like at every breath.
like, it is so annoying.
Yes, the analogy with ‘like’ works. It’s laziness to a degree, I think.
I loathe initials…I have to spend time wondering what they might be. Incidentally one of the most difficult thing about moving to another country is having to find out what all the bodies known by their initials are and what they do apart from waste money.
Not that one is immune from this is one’s own country.
I went to the London School of Economics …LSE, so imagine my surprise on moving to Norwich to see posters announcing that LSE was in financial difficulties….only it was Laurence Scott Electromotors, a large local employer.
Not LOL and I certainly did not ROFLMAO…being Norwich someone would have nicked it if I had.
Hmm, Laurence Scott Electromotors. Maybe Mick Jagger actually attended there rather than the better known LSE.
😀
Thank you, dear. Says it all.
The first time Dad and I saw George Carlin on TV, I’m guessing 1973 or 1974, He fell over (head to knee) in his chair laughing and I literally fell off the couch onto the floor. Not sure if I rolled around, though. I don’t care for LOL, but I use it now and again and it’s always honest, meaning I actually laughed out loud. I do like to use the winking emoticon: 😉 because I can have a dry sense of humor on facebook and I guess I don’t always trust the reader to get it, so I add the wink. If something is hysterically funny, I usually type something like, “Wow! I think I laughed for five minutes.” or “I laugh every time I read (or see) this again.” As you know Ian, you can try to stay away from the modern stuff, but it’s really all about communication. If my audience is in their 20’s (daughter, nephew, what have you) I just go ahead and speak their language.
Yes, George can come close to making me pee myself. And your point about the age differential in communication is totally apt. But, I figure, if I’m not their age then they should come up to my standard rather than the reverse.
And I just sent you an email about being unable to access your blog.
Okay that was weird. The actual emoticon for the wink came up here. I’m used to just seeing the semicolon, close parentheses symbols.
Actually I do think some emoticons are quite amusing.
I have become a fan of texting since it removes all the idle conversation you need to use on the phone before actually getting to the point (yes, I hate talking on the phone).You just get to the point, because really, the thumb typing thing can get highly annoying. So, I definitely use emoticons while texting (whatever goes faster) and LOL now and again – but I’m not much of a LOLer.