Your dad might be the only person still using 'lol,' study finds

In all likelihood, you employ the sliding “haha” scale in all textual communication—an extra “ha” is tacked on for every added degree of amusement. (Hahahahahahahahaha is probably the outer limit.)

Inspired by Sarah Larson’s New Yorker piece, Facebook released a study this morning and confirmed this reality: “haha” variations composed 51.4 percent of all laughs in Facebook comments posted in the last week of May. Pulling up the rear—behind the crying emoji, and even the dreaded “hehe”— was “lol,” at a paltry 1.9 percent.

Here’s more from Facebook:

Ms. Larson discusses the emergence of the peculiar hehe, which is “poised upon us by the youth.” Are the hehes really a more youthful expression than hahas? The data say: not so! We found that across all age groups, from 13 to 70, the most common laughs are still haha, hahaha, hahahaha, and only then followed by hehe.

The Facebook study looked only at publicly available comments like photo comments and status updates, not Facebook Messenger. Still, the death of “lol” seems clear here, except when your dad texts you a link to an animal doing something funny and writes “lol” in the subject line.

Michael Rosen is a reporter for Fusion based out of Oakland.