Another interesting observation was the trajectory of the acronym lol.

Evidence in this
corpus shows it is still the most popular of all CMC acronyms, but it has been found to have
decreased in use, before increasing again. By examining its placement in the sentence
(whether it was used in the middle of a phrase or at the ends), Tagliamonte found that it
was usually used at the end of sentences and standing alone, suggesting it is now being
used as filler.

Of course, the study still has some drawbacks. For one, as Tagliamonte notes, there was
still a strong distinction between texts and instant messages back in 2010, as not everyone
had smartphones with full access to the Internet. Now that everyone uses Whatsapp,
iMessage, or whatever other messenger app you care to use, the distinction between
texting and instant messaging has been blurred. If the study were to be repeated now,
therefore, there would almost be no point in separating the two as different categories.
There is also the issue of emojis; is it possible that the popular lol has now been overthrown

by ? Regardless, however, it is fairly certain to say you wont be writing omg Macbeth
was so crazy lol in an English essay any time soon!

-------------------------------------------------

Tagliamonte, S. A. in collaboration with Dylan Uscher, Lawrence Kwok, and students from
HUM199Y 2009 and 2010 (2016). So sick or so cool? The language of youth on the
internet. Language in Society 45: 1-32.