Tadden, it's got the code it's going to launch.

It's a unit system.

I know this.

It's all the files of the whole park.

It tells you everything.

Sir, he's uploading the virus.

Eagle One, the package is being delivered.

Hello out there in cyberspace.

We all type it, some of us say it out loud, three little letters, L.O.L.

Whether you're laughing out loud or softening the blow of bad news. It's so ubiquitous in the English

speaking world, but it's almost become punctuation. But where did it come from? And does it have a

strict definition? Well, if you know anything about linguistics, you may already know the answers

to both of those questions. Motherboard senior staff writer Shayla Love certainly does.

And she's here with us today to talk about the origins of the phrase that's part of our online world.

It's the subject of her new piece on motherboard, why we use LOL so much.

I'm Matthew Galt.

This is Cyber.

Shayla, thank you so much for coming on to the show.

Thanks for having me.

I'm so glad to talk about LOL.

Your piece is absolutely fascinating, but I have, I got to get something out of the way first

at the very beginning here. Do you say, when you say it out loud, do you say LOL or do you

...