I try not to use the word literally in my daily life because I watched an episode of MadTV once where they made fun of people who used it. Now I always think of that and wonder if people roll their eyes at me. I guess that's a little off subject, but I was literally dying to mention it.
Language changes. Eventually, with enough misuse, the word literally will most likely gain a new definition based on that misuse. Meanwhile, if you know it is misuse, what is the point of misusing it in writing outside of a character (dialogue, or character-driven narration) context? If you have a specific purpose in misusing it, fine. But don't misuse it because you think no one cares about the correct usage anymore. Sometimes, people get so annoyed at a misused word or phrase that the backlash reverses the decay of the word's semantics. As a writer, hold yourself to a higher standard. Do not knowingly commit verbicide!
LOL. Would you accept a photoshoped picture? Oh common. So the word literally starts to get used metaphorically. It's not literally the end of the world!
