You might have noticed pictures like the one above or the one on Twitter’s error page. This meme, a derivative of leetspeak, is a fascinating example of how the Internet is accelerating the evolution of language and communication. (They are also really funny.)

Take an example like “laugh out loud.” The evolution looks something like:

1. While IMing, people need a quick way to communicate they found something funny, so they start using LOL as an abbreviation for “laugh out loud”
2. LOL is used enough in IM conversations that it works its way into everyday speech as “l-o-l”
3. “l-o-l” slowly evolves to “lowl” which evolves further to “lawl”
4. The evolution then returns to the Internet where, in response to something funny, someone uploads a photo of Lal, an obscure, once seen character from Star Trek

“It’s a big inside joke on several levels, and the creator gets golf claps for pulling together all these references into one simple understatement. Everyone who gets it belongs in the ingroup, and the behavioral cycle is encouraged and repeated.”

This example and many others are part of a brilliant article written by David McRaney and submitted to I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER.

(Hat tip to Tim for pointing me to the article.)