heeheeomgroflolmao

I assume all of the 8 people that might read this bloggie use some sort of instant messaging service or at least have at some point. I was typing to Mike today and I started to think about IM language. I try very hard not to get sucked into the abbreviation extravaganza as I am a word elitist and I like typing, so I try to make it last as long as possible. I do like however that there has been a sort of "laugh sound hierarchy" put into place in order to let people know just how funny they think you are.

Example...if I write something to Mike and get a "heh" or "heeh" that means one of two things. He didn't really read what I just wrote and "heh" was the quick response OR he is super busy...scanned the IM and in his rush to laughtype his fingers got all confused.
The second tier of the laughtype pyramid is the "hehe" or "hee". This means that what you typed has caused a chuckle. Not a full laugh but it definitly warrants a little something.
The third tier is the full on "haha" or even the "HAHA!" this is usually what I strive for. If I say something clever and get the "haha" I feel good about it...proud even.
The fourth tier is where I start to lose some footing. The "lol" tier. First off, ALL laughs are out loud...even "hehe's". Not to mention the fact that if something was funny and you shouted "laugh out loud" people would think that you were crazy, or a robot, or both. And nothing stops a conversation like a crazy robot.
Which brings me to the fifth and final tier of the pyramid. The paragraph abbreviations. The "omgroflmao" laughs. These should not be tolerated and if someone types that to you and they are over the age of 9 you should beat them....with their keyboard.

Just down the street from the laughtype pyramid there is a more sinister activity afoot. And as much as I despise the constant stupid abbreviations I can handle them...as long as they are in type form. The trend of saying the abbreviations out loud could possible be the most annoying thing I have witnessed since non-dancers started wearing leg-warmers. When I hear someone actually say "lol" or "btw" or "omg" I want to tear off their fingers and stuff them in their mouth. See folks, at this point the people are actually talking to each other and can say the words...or better yet...can just actually laugh. Speaking really doesn't require additional shortcuts other than the occasional contraction. And since evolutionary wise we all took the time to learn to speak and all I think we should embrace the gift.
And don't even get me started on the emoticons...you little freaks.