Like, OMG, Are You Serious?

It may be annoying when people speak in text messaging tongue, but as this article points out, it's a sign of the changing and eventually passing times.  Personally, I cringe when I hear people say aloud the more popular text message acronyms like "LOL" and "ROFL," but these three and four-letter abbreviations are the answer to this decade's new slang.

As a side note, I wonder how these acronyms are also tied to the drama-loving tendencies of our youth today.  Take for example, the extreme popularity of reality television.  If you've ever watched something like a "Real Housewives of Orange County," you'd know that none of these reality shows have any real substance to them.  They're all about fluffy, inconsequential, and in many cases, faked dramatic situations, where over-the-top behavior is encouraged.  If these are the types of programs young adults love, it's no wonder they use the same fluffy, faked language in communication with their peers, friends and family. (How many times is a person actually "laughing out loud" or "rolling on the floor laughing" when they send a text message containing "LOL" or "ROFL"?  The answer is never.  It's purely dramatic nonsense.)

The good news is that language is always evolving.  What may be popular now will likely not be popular ten years from now.  "LOL" won't last forever, and I think that's pretty "swell."