Internet Lingo

          In your everyday life, you’ve probably noticed that, without even thinking about it all the time, you use different language with different groups. For example, when you are with your friends, you probably do not behave in the same way that you would if you were spending time with your parents. If you work in a business setting, there is a certain way that you would act that would probably be different than if you were a kitchen worker at a restaurant (I say this from my own personal experience.) This same thing happens when you enter the online world: the internet/social media can have a very different set of linguistic rules or codes than what may be the case in your real-life world. Because of the nature of social media and the necessity of typing rather than speaking words, many phrases have adapted abbreviated forms. In this post, I will provide some examples and define their meaning.

TBT: Throwback Thursday (often used when sharing an older image or post on a Thursday)

IG: Instagram (name of an app used for sharing images/videos)

#: Hashtag (used to group related posts together)

IMO: In My Opinion (to clarify that it is opinion, not fact)

IRL: In Real Life (used to state that something relates to a person’s life offline)

LMAO: Laughing My A$$ Off (often follows a humorous post)

IDFWY: I Don’t F*** With You (popularized by Drake; means you don’t associate with someone)

GTG: Got to Go (used to exit a conversation)

FB: Facebook (name of popular social media app/site)

ICYMI: In Case You Missed It (often used by news accounts)

Tweet: A post on Twitter

GN: Goodnight / GM: Good Morning (greetings)

V: Very (shortened form of “very”)

GOAT: Greatest of All Time (used for comparing celebrities, etc.)

SC: Snapchat (name of popular image/video sharing app)

Snap: Communicating on Snapchat

BAE: Before Anyone Else (often describes a significant other)

SO: Significant Other

YOLO: You Only Live Once (typically an excuse/reason to do something)

DM: Direct Message (to share a message with just one person on Twitter)

FML: F*** My Life (used when something embarrassing or bad happens)

Facepalm: Means slamming your head into your hand (used when someone feels dumb for something)
FBF: Flashback Friday (same as TBT but used on Friday) 
MCM: Man Crush Monday (used to share a love interest on Mondays) 
WCW: Woman Crush Wednesday (used to share a love interest on Wednesdays) 

NSFW: Not Safe For Work (used to label things you should not open at work/school/anywhere else that could be embarrassing and/or risky)

These are just a few examples of an internet world full of shorthand and abbreviated language!