I fucking hate "ijbol" and I can finally vocalize why
2 min read · 411 words
If you haven't been living under a rock like I have recently, you will have likely seen the acronym "ijbol" infecting comment sections around the net. "Ijbol", or "I just burst out laughing", is a new-fangled slang whose existence, for some reason, irrationally pisses me off. I always took it for granted, that it's just one of those things that one dislikes for no apparent reason, but for someone like me who craves introspection, that answer was not sufficient.
One day while taking a shit it finally hit me, why I hate the term "ijbol" so much. It's a side-effect of a larger societal shift, and bizarrely enough a deep omen of the troubling times to come.
"Ijbol" is too self-centered.
I know—bizarre, right? How can an acronym be "self-centered"? Let's take a look at some other acronyms one may use to express laughter and enjoyment:
- lol—laughing out loud
- lmao—laughing my ass off
- lmfao—laughing my fucking ass off
- rofl—rolling on the floor laughing
Notice anything here? It's not "I'm laughing out loud", it's "laughing out loud". No "I'm laughing my ass off", just "laughing my ass off". Yes, the terms are describing what one is doing, but you don't mention "I" at all. The star of the show isn't what YOU are doing, it's what you are DOING. Even with the case of "lmao" and its more saucier counterpart "lmfao", the "my" part is taking a backseat in the phrase.
Compare it to other examples like afk, brb, and gtg, and you'll see that the main point of attraction isn't you but your actions.
These are all adages of the old internet, the days prior to forums and IRC chat and the like. When the internet was a communal space. "Ijbol" is a more recent term, one whose existence earmarks a new age of internet and societal culture, one where everyone is in a constant pissing-match for attention. A society focused more on the individual and people's perceptions of themselves in lieu of the community.
American society has become markedly more individualistic and reclusive over the past decade. At risk of sounding like a 23-year-old boomer, social lives aren't what they used to be. "Ijbol" is a reflection of this, a reflection that we are becoming less connected with each other, a reflection that we now care more about ourselves than others.
I hate "ijbol" because "ijbol" is too self-centered.
Anyways, can we bring back ROFL?
