Laugh Out Loud

To LOL, or not LOL? That is the question

March 7, 2011 By MARTHA IRVINE, AP National Writer

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-lol.html

            I stumbled upon this article while surfing the Internet and it instantly caught my eye. What could someone have possibly written about such a simple phrase I use so often? I had no idea what to expect. However, the article turned out to be incredibly interesting and presented a different perspective on today’s technological lingo. It aimed to explain the growing annoyance and persistence of the commonly – and possibly excessively – used term LOL (laugh out loud).  Some thought it was juvenile or a “high school thing” that only teenage girls say. While others feel they use the term because they “just grew up with it.” Either way you look at it, one cannot deny the fact that it has become an integral part in the way we communicate today. I believe that LOL can hold many different meanings and is completely subjective to the individual.

            So where did the expression come from? The article notes the acronyms fuzzy and fairly unknown origins. What the author does assume is that the expression was probably formed in the 1980s on some early Internet message board by gamers or hackers.  And with the growth of the Internet age in the 1990s, it went mainstream, showing up in chat rooms and instant messaging sites. It continued to grow and evolve as time went on. New versions of the acronym such as LMAO (“Laughing My A** Off”) and ROFL (“Rolling On the Floor Laughing”) began to pop up. However by 2004 people were finally beginning to get tired of the phrase. It was placed on the “List of Words to be Banished from the Queen’s English for Mis-Use, Over-Use, and general Uselessness.” Despite it’s place on the ban list, it continues to persist even today.

            The article was extremely amusing. I literally “laughed out loud” at some of the comments and references. Almost every person today – at least all people of the developed world that utilize cell phones and the Internet – can relate to this in one way or another.  It is something that we type and say so often that it’s not even thought about anymore.

            I also found it funny when the article pointed out the fact that it has become so commonplace that we say it even when we don’t actually laugh. I must admit I am guilty of this act from time to time. I hadn’t thought of how many times I may exagerate to the person I am texting or messaging just out of convenience. It’s quicker. With limited time and text messaging characters, who wants to explain how they’re really feeling or reacting? Three little letters are able to convey so much more than you would think.

A Blog about Blogs

http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20110224/tc_pcworld/farewellblogsyourdaysarenumbered

I found this recent article on Yahoo News. The article is called “Farewell, Blogs! Your Days Are Numbered.” It is about a Pew Internet report that indicates that blogging is a dying medium. The report provides information on Internet habits in 2010 and states that “only half as many online teens work on their own blog as did in 2006, and Millennial generation adults ages 18-33 have also seen a modest decline.” The article suggests that a reason for the demise of blogging is due to the boom in social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. Both sites have been described as microblogging services. It seems people have simply switched to an easier-to-use, multifaceted service. The article goes on to discuss the past use of blogs by companies and how a shift toward Facebook would be more beneficial for their business. Companies need to understand that online media is not just a podium from which they can announce things, which is why blogging is so weak. Creating a page on Facebook allows businesses to interact with customers in multiple ways like offering product information, answering questions instantly, fostering discussions, and creating games within the page. What the article is saying is that with these options companies can increase interest in their products and services far beyond what could be offered by a mere blog posting.

            I think this was a very interesting piece. I was shocked to hear that the number of online teens working on blogs has declined. I know more people now writing blogs than I did back in 2006 when I was in high school. Also my little brother and a few of his friends, who are in high school, write blogs. I know my friend’s younger sibling and her friends keep blogs as well. Blogging I think is a great creative outlet for teenagers and hopefully the numbers don’t keep decreasing. I do agree, though, that from a business perspective having a Facebook would be better than a blog. The fact that it can offer more ways to connect to their audiences is key. Personally if I was interested in finding out information on a company I wouldn’t think to check to see if they had a blog but I would definitely check for their Facebook page.

What do you guys think? Do you think blogs are a dying medium? As Facebook and other social media sites gain popularity with teens, which are considered types of blogs, are there still any unique benefits of blogging?