the online laugh

I’m fascinated by online laughter. I think it's pretty hilarious that the ambiguity of texting, e-mailing, and instant messaging requires us to point out when things are funny. (See this? That's a joke.)

Some of my personal online laughter favorites are

• hahahahaha: Used for legitimate funniness. It implies long, steady laughter. Put it in all caps and people know that you’re really having a good time.
• LOL: Laugh out loud. Popular with 14-year-olds, but I’m not above using this classic abbreviation. It's ideal for those of us that are cursed with an ugly, open-mouthed mostly-silent laugh.
  
• HA!: A surprised laugh that sounds just like it looks: uncomfortably loud yet sincere.
• Ja ja ja: Regular laughter en Espanol.
• JK: Just kidding. A great way to get away with saying whatever you want (“You really do drive me nuts—jk!”)

With all this in mind, I wonder what to make of an email I got from my husband today. I sent him something that I thought was legitimately funny, and he responded with:

Yeah, "ha"

“ha”? That’s a new one. Is that how you show fake laughter? Is it a half-hearted laugh? Or was he laughing but having fun with quotation marks at the same time?

I'd like to be optimistic, but I have a feeling he may have been mocking me.

"ha"