[Ground_Breaker]

Originally Posted by Stewie7Griffin

I just don't understand why people use these. :/

They're no different than any other word or phrase that evolves in a language over time. Another example of this concept would be the acceptance of Google (which is obviously the name of a corporation and search engine) as having a verb form. I use the term "acceptance" rather loosely...I would not recommend using Google as a verb in a formal paper, for example, but in everyday conversation, you will likely not come across someone who is extremely offended by this usage.

This is the reality of language. It constantly evolves, and as an English major, I find it far more productive to adapt to the evolution of language in a general sense, rather than to fight it.

Of course, we are on an internet forum, and as such, you will on average see far more laziness, abbreviations, and shorthand than in any other medium of communication (outside of text messaging, perhaps). As stated earlier in the thread, "facepalm" or "/facepalm" is something people now say on the internet as shorthand for, "I believe that the action you have previously committed is foolish or silly." Most of the other words or phrases you bring up can be attributed to this process as well.