AFK WTF
In response to my recent complaining about MSN etiquette (see ‘Sick’) one reader wrote in “I just type AFK and they leave me alone“. AFK for the uninitiated means Away From Keyboard.
So let me get this straight, Away is a source of confusion but AFK is universally understood and accepted. I wonder, if I’m set to Away what precisely do people think I’m away FROM? To clarify, I must replace a 4-letter word with a 3-letter acronym which references the old word to make my meaning clearer.
Sigh.
Not too long ago I got into an argument online because someone wrote “Hahahaha“. I asked them what was so funny. After she insulted me and swore at me for my comment I was told that LOL means something is funny whereas Hahahaha means something looks stupid. See to me Hahahaha looks like laughing and LOL stands for Laughing Out Loud. They seem to be synonymous to me, the only difference being perhaps one of degree. Clearly I was mistaken and had committed some kind of inexcusable faux pas.
I mean, if something looks stupid why not just say it looks stupid, or LS if you want another acronym to add to the lexicon.
I understand language is a living fluid thing that is always changing, ever evolving, however these two examples make me wonder if the poor devil’s been exposed to some kind of radiation.
If Away no longer means away and laughing is no longer funny and acronyms the only way we have of communicating then I have to declare the internet officially broken.
