A millennial from Huntsville, Alabama, has clapped back at claims that her generation should stop ending sentences with “lol.”
Anna Gaddis, 32, who posts on TikTok under the handle @annagaddis, often shares takes on pop culture and internet trends. When she noticed a wave of posts criticizing millennials’ use of “lol,” she couldn’t resist responding.
“I first saw it mentioned on Facebook. Then 1–2 posts on TikTok,” Gaddis told Newsweek. “I giggled to myself and responded, ‘no. lol.’ It’s so easy to write ‘lol’ as it has so many meanings, context to it. You can use it to show humor, sarcasm, nervous laughter, a chuckle or giggle—honestly anything. It shows lightheartedness in most cases.”
In a TikTok video now topping 3.9 million views, Gaddis explained that the phrase rarely means someone is literally laughing out loud. Instead, she said, it functions as shorthand for the small, everyday chuckles and awkward giggles that happen in conversations, both online and off.
Why “LOL” Still Matters to Millennials
Gaddis argued that telling millennials to abandon “lol” is unfair.
“Absolutely not fair to tell millennials to stop doing this,” she said. “We pretty much invented text culture. We didn’t invent text messages or email itself but, I think the acronyms and slang and the meanings of those things come from us. We are the pioneers of most of the cool things we do now.”
As the video gained more attention, people reacted in the comments. While some Gen Z users admitted they never realized “lol” was controversial, others from different generations admitted they use it too.
“We’re constantly picked on about our clothing style and ‘cringe’ theatrics,” Gaddis added. “But we’re nostalgic and stubborn about the things we hold dear. Who’s going to stop us from using something we started?”
The reactions were overwhelmingly supportive—and Gaddis herself was stunned by how quickly her video blew up.
“I had a feeling the video would do pretty well, but I didn’t have the foresight that this would be my highest viewed video,” she said. “I’ve gone viral in the hundreds of thousands before, but millions? That’s surreal.”
The History of LOL
Though it feels like second nature today, “lol” actually has roots that predate TikTok, Instagram, and even text messaging. The acronym—short for “laughing out loud”—was first documented in the early 1980s, when Canadian Wayne Pearson reportedly used it in an online chatroom.
By the 1990s, it spread across email chains and early instant messengers like AOL AIM, MSN, and ICQ, and come the early 2000s, “lol” was standard in SMS texting culture.
In 2011, the Oxford English Dictionary officially recognized “lol” as a word. Over time, it shifted from literal meaning to conversational marker—so much so that many people now casually say “lol” in face-to-face interactions.
For Gaddis, the video was more than just a funny moment. It highlighted how a single phrase can connect generations through shared digital history.
“Anything I can see, God gives me the favor and patience to see,” she said. “The world is so big and so small. Overall, it’s been a great joy and achievement for me to see this milestone. I’m grateful.”
The post Woman Makes Eye-Opening Point About Millennials Using ‘Lol’ appeared first on Newsweek.
