"Haha" has got the last laugh when it bested the competition as the most commonly used type of expression, netizens use to convey mirth and laughter on the social networking platform.
According to a new Facebook research, the go-to e-laughter expression for almost half (51.4 percent) of the people in their dataset is "haha," followed by the emoji at 33.7 percent, the "hehe" (12.7%), and lastly, the "lol," which is used by a little less than two percent.
The Facebook blog entitled, "The Not-So-Universal Language of Laughter," also concluded that people are fond of laughing online with 15 percent of those who posted or commented within the one-week data period have used at least one type of e-laugh.
Furthermore, the research was able to break down the demographics behind the different e-laughter types. It shows that the use of a particular expression varies with age, sexual orientation, and even geography.
Most men were found to be "haha-ers," while women resort to both "haha" and their emoji more often. The male demographics are also more likely to use "hehe" than their female counterpart. On the other hand, women makes use of "lol" more often than men.
In terms of location, the data showed that people from the west coast are more likely "haha-ers" and "hehe-ers." Those from the midwest love their emoji, while down south, you can find the "lol" states.
The cities of Seattle and San Francisco are the biggest users of "haha," while residents from New York and Chicago are mostly emoji fans.
The data also shows that people aged 13 to 70 uses "haha" and "hehe" more often than "lol" and emoji. The youth, meanwhile, prefer their emoji as compared to the other expressions.
The study conducted by the social networking giant was inspired by another post written by Sarah Larson for The New Yorker. In her article, "HAHAHA Vs. HEHEHE," Sarah wrote a light-hearted discussion about the different e-laughs and their social connotations.