Why Do Millennials Feel Compelled To Write 'Lol' After Everything?

“My default mode is to feel that what I have to say isn’t important, so 'lol' is also sort of a great eraser,” one millennial said. 

When did “lol” become the equivalent of a punctuation mark for millennials? 

Nick Russell, a millennial from Memphis, Tennessee, tacks “lol” onto texts to sidestep potentially awkward or loaded conversation.

“It’s the difference between texting ‘I think I love you’ to a crush versus ‘I think I love you, lol,‘” Russell said. “In the latter case,...