What is ROFL? | Why ROFL is used?

What is ROFL?

To start off, let’s find out how and when the acronym ROFL originated and made its way to being a widely used tool in communicating. 

According to huffpost.com, ROFL and its variants, as well as ROTFL (the “T” is for “the”) and ROTF (which does away with “laughing” altogether), originate to a minimum of 1989, when it was apparently initially utilized in a post on Usenet, associate early net message board, during a cluster discussing amateur radio. And to this day, it has been used very often on various unique social media and other platforms.

So, what exactly is ROFL? Basically, it is an internet acronym for “Rolling On The Floor Laughing”, which expresses amusement from a certain topic that is being discussed in a conversation. It is usually used in text conversations as it is an internet thing that has adapted to culture in conversation within the internet and in real-life use as well. Moreover, it is used to express a virtual laugh that is more than simply LOL(laughing out loud).

• ROFL stands for Rolling On The Floor Laughing

Why ROFL is used?

As internet users have constructed easier ways to do things, they applied it in communication. ROFL is used in text communication because it is shorter and is more efficient than to have to say the whole statement which is “rolling on the floor laughing”. And considering that it is a texting/internet acronym, it is consequently used because of internet trends as well as being a part of the culture of urban modern communication through the internet and texting. For some people, it may seem a lazy choice to a particular conversation, but using these acronyms are actually part of the modern-day culture and preference mostly by the later generations, which we call the millennials and generation z.

How to use ROFL?

How does 1 use ROFL? Well, it’s actually quite easy! People often use ROFL in friendly, casual, and non-formal conversations. For example:

Person 1: How did Yoda get his first lead?

Person 2: How?

Person 1: He used the SalesForce.

Person 2: ROFL!

On account, ROFL is not to be used in formal and professional circumstances in the discourse on the internet.

Is it rude to say FYI?

FYI means “for your information" and is sometimes taken as a passive and aggressive phrase when it comes to communicating. But, this is not completely and totally true, because it is dependent on the context and the attitude of the person. In some cases, it can be useful for referencing information. Some ways to prevent this phrase to come out as offensive is to be careful when it comes to utilizing something as such a phrase that requires a clear expression of one's intention is to know when to use it and when to avoid the use of the phrase. The topic can also be a factor, so in circumstances such as writing emails, serious and polite conversations on the internet, the use of this acronym should be prevented at all costs. Lastly, never use it in a condescending manner in verbal arguments as it can sound cold and abrupt.