Laughing out loud: Colloquial expressionism, semantics, and the demise of the American youth
q by Andrew Yaksic Feature Editor
Few phrases irk me more than "lol". This was supposedly once an acronym for "laughing out loud," but now represents the gross apathy of American teenagers. It is a dismissive response to a hypothetically humorous statement. "lol" is what so many teenagers find themselves typing when a compatriot has made a comment in jest that wasn't necessarily funny, but which both parties mutually agree to discontinue discussion on. All of this is subconsciously achieved simply by typing "lol".
"lol" is a byproduct of American culture - a culture that heavily incorporates instant messaging software clients. An entirely different lexicon exists for communication over this medium, encompassing such words as "lol" (laughing out loud), "brb" (be right back), "hehe" (a somewhat onomatopoetic term to express genuine laughter), and all kinds of seemingly innocent terms. These terms are deviously misleading, as they promote bad typing habits. Such terms include "u" (you), "2" ('to' or 'too'), "r" (are), "y" (why), and other such homophonic terms that cause one to wonder - is it really so hard to type a few extra letters? The time spent translating from what I term "AIMspeak" to standard American English makes the use of such terms counterproductive. Has the American teenage society lost sight of the virtues of productivity? A conversation transpiring over the devilish instant messaging client would indicate that indeed, "we" collectively no longer care. Apathy rages on in the form of "lol".
There are many social ramifications to such deviant use of linguistics. Using this type of language in casual conversation often leads to its use in non-casual environments. A straw poll with a moderate sample of a cross-section of area teenagers indicates that a significant portion rely on word processors to capitalize terms such as "I" for them. This is a chilling foreshadowing of the future of this country: it will be run by those who allow computers to correct them and change their words.
Why waste time worrying about the prescient evidence presented heretofore? Is there any recourse from apathy brought on by instant messaging? Is the social chicanery brought on by a slew of acronyms insurmountable? Perhaps. There must, however, exist a solution to this problem. Active non-participation in the demise of American youth is a great place to start. Our collective minds turn to mush as conversation becomes less stimulating. It should be the goal of every adolescent American to help prevent the demise of his or her generation. Be more careful and attentive to the semantics subconsciously employed in conversational discussion. The scourge of "lol" will one day be replaced by enlightened thinking; for now, "lol" has no place in our society or in our conversational lexicon.