The History of LOL: Its Murky Origins and Influence on Society

The origin of the internet slang “LOL” is surprisingly debated. One claim comes from Wayne Pearson, a Canadian student who says he first used it in the early to mid-1980s on a now-closed online service called Viewline. He used it as a direct response to something that made him laugh out loud, and believes it spread as Viewline users moved to other platforms like GEnie and AOL. However, there’s no concrete proof to support his claim, and he acknowledges that many people might not believe his story.






