did i miss something funny?

I have no problem admitting to my age. I'm fully aware that I grew up without the internet, DVRs, cell phones and texting. Along with all of this comes an entire new way of communicating; specifically, the shortening of words and creating new anagrams (because we are all now limited to 140 characters to communicate all our thoughts). I've honestly had a difficult time adjusting to this new lingo everyone uses when texting, tweeting and now when speaking. In particular, there is the usage of one term I just don't get, LOL.

First off, LOL has multiple meanings - laugh out loud, lots of luck and lots of love. How am I supposed to know which phrase you are referring to? Fortunately, I suppose, LOL usually means laugh out loud. Unfortunately, this acronym is used far too often in communication--via text, IM, facebook, twitter and even face-to-face conversations.

I've adopted these new forms of communication in my life. I text; I instant message (IM); I Facebook; I even twitter. I've even managed to learn (and occasionally use) some of these acronyms that are so prevalent in this world of shortened, fast-paced communication. However, I do not get the use of LOL. Take a look at your last few conversations via any of the above mentioned "communication" tools. I bet you'll find "LOL" used no less than 20 times (or maybe its just my friends). OK, so I'm funny, but I'm not that funny. What's with all the LOLing? Seriously, did I miss the joke? Am I the only one that isn't "LOLing" all day every day? Please, help me understand what is so funny that everyone is continually laughing out loud or more accurately, LOLing!