Internet writing is a distinct genre with its own goals, and to accomplish those goals successfully requires subtly tuned awareness of the full spectrum of the language. Media representations of chatspeak ring hollow when they borrow the exotic trappings (like "lol" and "ttyl") without acknowledging the linguistic expertise that it takes to navigate the system as a whole (the coexistence of "lol" and "heheh," or "shall" and "i'll").

— Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch (Page 60)