lol

hahaha

lol

:P

These are all phrases that many people (myself included) use a lot in conversations. They're used to express feelings of joviality, light-heartedness, and to decrease the relative seriousness of a conversation. Here's an example:
I got a message (through Facebook) that said this:

hey Graham

do you like [name removed]?
lol

What was the point of the 'lol' at the bottom of the message? Was it even really thought about? Did the person even give it much thought? I'm not condemning this practise by the way, I'm just pointing it out, as that is what I do.

I think that the reason for it to be there was so that it wouldn't be, "hey Graham, do you like her?", which would lead to both parties feeling uncomfortable, as it is blatant and seen as being quite serious. But with the addition of the 'lol', we immediately feel less threatened because it seems laid back, and doesn't appear to be utterly serious.

And so that is what's been bugging my head for a few days now, thanks for reading, and apologies to the people who have patiently waited for something new to be posted.