Literally: Real or Not Real?

en.oxforddictionaries.com

One of my research projects for my linguistics class focused on researching a word or phrase of my choice.  I chose literally as my topic.  Click here to watch a screencast video of an overview of my research. 

So, why do so many people use 'literally' when they aren't being literal?  Were you literally dying of laughter?  Why are you #literallyobsessed?  My research paper delves into the etymology of the word and touches on how another use for 'literally' became so common in our language. 

To end it:  Chris Traeger, everyone.  Parks and Rec would literally not be the same without him.