Hi! Hello! Hola! I am not quite sure how to introduce this one because as promised, this is another installment for my social media/internet slang. The first installment has been about acronyms that are proliferating around social media and the internet in general. You may check it out at this link : OMG! Social Media Slang #FTW .
In this one I would like to focus on the words or phrases rather than their shortened counterpart. So without further ado let's get on with it.
Clickbait
A clickbait can be both an image or plain text which has the goal of attracting a user to click on it. Clickbaits are often misleading or over the top because they solicit impact and invite users to click on them.
An exaggerated title, a provoking thumbnail and other eye-catching headers are just some examples of clickbait. Personally, I used to be a frequent victim of clickbaits. Specially when I am browsing around Youtube, those carefully designed thumbnails really have the power to reel anyone in. Ironically, when I see a title with the words "Not Clickbait..." I almost always assume that it is a clickbait. Reverse psychology b$*@#!
Facepalm
In real life face palm is the gesture created when one's hand is pressing one's face or forehead. This has turned into a meme and is often used when a post or someone is saying something absolutely absurd.
Photo from Dictionary.com And as we all know, the internet is not only a place for valuable information but also a massive dumpsite for stupidity and utter nonsense so there is no end to posts that warrant this meme. I remember that when I was active in 9Gag before, I often use the facepalm meme to show my exasperation to some posts. Oh what fun times.
Hashtag
We all know what this sign '#' is, yep that's correct it's called Number or Pound sign. Wait, did you just say hashtag? Well, don't worry, you are not alone. A lot of people nowadays know the sign as hashtag and that's how powerful social media is. It has the power to change a sign's name, and going by that it really has the power to shape and change the world. Anyhow, as I have said before in Social Media Astounding Facts and Figures, hashtag was first used in Twitter and was suggested by a user named Chris Messina on August 23 2007 as a way of grouping tweets for a certain topic. As of today, no matter what social networking site you use, you will seldom see a post or a content without a hashtag.
"I Can't Even"
The phrase is often used to convey the state of speechlessness towards the content. The incomplete nature of the phrase is perfect since it can be used to show either exasperation or positive appreciation in exaggeration, depending on the context the content is presenting. The early usage of the phrase has been observed over Tumblr and then spread across other social networking sites. And with this pandemic, and all that's happening now, I can't even!
Lit
This one is interesting. I used to think that when someone says something is "lit", I thought they meant that it was "on fire" or that something is superbly amazing and breathtaking. According to Merriam-Webster, the word lit is an old slang which garnered a whole new meaning. Based on what they said, the old meaning of lit is being intoxicated or drunk. As in, it's Friday! Yey I'm gonna get lit tonight! But as of today, lit has been linked to the words "Exciting" or "Excellent". As in, "wow man! Your new kicks are lit!" or "I can feel it in my bones, today's gonna be lit!".
Lurker
Lurker refers to a user on a message board or chat room that just roams and looks around without engaging with the board or the room itself. Often used in forums or groups, lurkers are users that do not contribute anything to the discussion or the room in general. And just as any content provider, I wish that you strive not to be a lurker and contribute to the value of a room, a site or an article. A like will be much appreciated. :)
from KQED.com Meme
This is one of my favorite internet words. First, it's simply fun to say, meme, meme, meme. :D Funny thing is, I first misread/mispronounced this word, instead of saying /mii~m/ I said /meh-meh/. And after I learned that I was saying it wrong, I was like, meh.
What's a meme you ask? According to its definition from wikipedia, a meme is a style, idea or behavior that is spread via the internet. Memes are often designed to be humorous, some of them hysterical, some are satirical and some are just borderline dark. Do you have any favorite meme? I always enjoy something with "bad luck Brian", "Good Guy Greg" and "Scumbag Steve".
Photobomb
Photobomb can be defined as both verb and a noun. It is the act of purposely/accidentally spoiling a photograph in which an unintended subject appears in the camera's point of view ruining the picture. I can still recall when photobombing was a thing and it has caused some people several body pains. As usual, many of the photobombs are hilarious and others may just seem plain disrespectful.
Sliding into DMs
This one's interesting and is the key to everything. Am I right? PM is the key. LOL. As we now know, DM stands for Direct Message (private message) in social networking sites like Twitter or Instagram. DMs lets another user talk to other user one on one and "privately" instead of their feeds or comment boxes. And as you can imagine, a "lot" could happen in this "private" box. It's all up to them what to do with their new found freedom. Often times, when you are "sliding into someone's DM" you are sending someone a private message with romantic intentions in mind and with the hope of that person replying or at least accepting your message. Usually, "hi", "hey beautiful", "hello gorgeous" will not do the trick, instead those might come across as a bit creepy. What's up with that girls? Anyhow, to successfully slide into someone's DM, users tend to design a message that is cool, slick and intriguing enough for the intended user to click accept.
Subs
Subs is a shortened word for Subscribers. And as for all the content providers out there, this one might be one of the most important things in making contents. And for all my subs, thank you very much, you are all the real MVP! And if you aren't, what are you waiting for? Come on in! Join us. It'll be fun. :)
Viral
And finally, this one seems to be popular nowadays. The original definition of this relates to a disease or illness that is caused by a virus. Curse this pandemic. But when it is used in regards to internet, viral means a quickly and widely spread popularity of something, it may be a video or a photo or something. A lot of creators are hoping for even one of their content be viral. When something goes viral, it sure is a success story.
For an absolute certainty, new words or even old words will come to the spotlight again as we continue to use this massive communication machine we call the internet. With how fast we consume the information today, it might be a bit of a hassle to be up to date with all the terms all the people in the web use, but hey, it's certainly fun to be in to know so a tweet or status update here and there won't hurt. Just always be responsible and mindful to whatever you post or share, you don't want to be the next meme, do you?
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_meme
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/lit-meaning-origin
