Книга: LOL: Internet slang, Usenet, Computer- mediated communication, Face- to- face, Acronym and initialism, Laughter, Larry Magid, Emoticon, Smiley, Folklore, Internet Relay Chat, Leet

LOL, an abbreviation for laughing out loud or laugh out loud, is a common element of Internet slang. It was used historically on Usenet but is now widespread in other forms of computer-mediated communication, and even face-to-face communication. It is one of many initialisms for expressing bodily reactions, in particular laughter, as text, including initialisms for more emphatic expressions of laughter such as LMAO, ROTFL or ROFL on the floor laughing'), and BWL ('bursting with laughter'), above which there is 'no greater compliment' according to technology columnist Larry Magid. Other unrelated expansions include the now mostly historical 'lots of luck' or 'lots of love' used in letter-writing. The list of acronyms 'grows by the month', and they are collected along with emoticons and smileys into folk dictionaries that are circulated informally amongst users of Usenet, IRC, and other forms of (textual) computer-mediated communication.These initialisms of this term are controversial, and several authors recommend against their use, either in general or in specific contexts such as business communications.