I guess the English have no words "Laughed out loud"?
There _is_ an internet word that has no English equivalent, that I do approve of. Lulz. There is of course the German "schadenfreude" that I use, but often receives a blank stare. Now internet English has that word.
If you like overanalyzing these things (and who doesn't?), "Peep Show" is a complex allegory for David Mitchell's emotional and psychological condition, and every character on "Peep Show" is a different aspect of his psyche. Mark is David's sense of self, Jez is everything David is too proper to be, Sophie is unending disappointment, Jeff is brutal self-criticism, and so on.
At first I was skeptical, because 'lol' is certainly used sarcastically. But then I realized that you only get sarcastic lol's on the deep dark corners of the web that no regular person (who this is no doubt aimed at) will visit.
Can't agree about emotes though. They are useful. Sometimes you need that extra bit of warmth to push a message over the edge. We're talking about a completely impersonal mode of communication, so it really is a useful tool to have. I will certainly agree that they are overused though.
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