Think of all the new words and phrases because of social media. The English language has long been known to be one of the most difficult languages to master. In addition, slang and new phrases became commonplace through the generations.
With social media, they now catch on much quicker.
Slang terms and new words have become mainstream due to the Internet and specifically through social media. There are social media words we use commonly.
Think of the ways we talk and post: We tag, we friend, we unfriend….
We are using nouns as verbs and verbs as nouns.
Our kids are growing up hearing these words as if they’ve always existed. You can probably think of many of these types of social media words yourself.
It’s not necessarily bad — but it is interesting!
New verbs because of Facebook and social media
Think of the new verbs we use in relation to Facebook:
- I friended her last week
- I unfriended her
- She humblebrags
- He Facebooked me last night
- I unfollowed him
Verbs that were always verbs but now used in the context of Facebook:
- Tag me in that post
- She tagged me
- I shared the post
- She blocked her
- I didn’t Like her post
- She was Facebook-stalking me
We Tweet…. Instagram…. Facebook…
Snapchat it…
We post….
So while you are Facebook Friending people to up your Friends list — you have to keep being popular after all — remember this is all fairly new stuff.
Annoying phrases on social media
There are many things we have to deal with because of social media. A bunch of us women — in our late 30s to mid-40s who use Facebook and Instagram — had a big discussion around this topic.
It turned into a conversation around the annoying phrases we were seeing on Facebook. For whatever reason, some of the words and the way our Facebook friends were using them, were really bugging us. (There may or may not have been wine/whine involved.)
We were talking about how and why some of these words and phrases have caught on. Before Facebook, most likely, no one was writing them.
While we are all for the informality, speed, and convenience — big reasons we love Facebook — some of them bother us.
Some of these phrases include:
Boo! (aka the sad face equivalent)
Sure, you are trying to express your support and dismay at something. It’s usually something lighthearted. This might be in response to a post something like, “I tried to make this Pinterest-worthy dessert but it failed.”
“Boo!” says a loyal Facebook friend.
“I got off late from work and raced to Target but it was closed when I got there.” BOO chimes your online community.
We all agreed there’s something babyish and whiny about that Boo coming from a grown adult. We couldn’t pinpoint exactly why it bothered all of us so much but it came down to reminding us of a little girl pouting for her daddy to buy her something.
Yes, we cringe when we see a “boo” on a Facebook post. Please just use the sad face emoji!
Love me some ______.
We were also bothered with the phrase: Love me some _____ It’s not that it’s an improper sentence — it’s just plain annoying.
Instead of saying “Love me some margaritas,” can you simply state: I love margaritas!
We often find this phrase in the context of someone who is showing they already do something or have been somewhere.
Love me some Game of Thrones. Love me some (name-of-new-restaurant-no-one-has-been-to-yet-except-you).
Please just simply state what you love and be done with it. “I love horseback riding by the ocean” or whatever it is you feel you must post about that you love so much.
Love that kid — Love that girl — Love that boy
It seems so strange to us to be referring to your own child as a “that” instead of “my.” We do find it very bizarre.
It’s like before your child was born and someone calling your baby an “it.” We are big fans of writing: “I love him so much,” not: “I love that kid.”
Really, do you walk around saying: I love that kid? Or do you just think, “I love him” or “I love (your child’s name)”?
Responding with Yep
What is Yep and when did it swoop in to replace Yes?
Half of us at our humble table of six agreed we despise the “Yep” answer. We found it to be flippant and dismissive. It’s as if you are bothering this person with your question, and she’s dismissing you with a Yep. (We covered this already — stop texting about this.)
We see this in Facebook comments as well as in responses to texts.
Is Yep the cool way to be affirmative? Is a simple Yes — also three letters and sharing the Y and E — no longer acceptable? We are on a campaign to bring back Yes.
We get that social media is supposed to be an easy and informal way of communicating, but it still bugs us!
New words on social media
These new phrases and words on social media catch on and then you will see them for months. Sometimes you will see them for years. They spread quickly on Facebook.
Do you love all the new verbs and nouns we have due to social media?
In the 21st century, we have added many new verbs to our vocabularies due to technology and social media: post, like, someone unfriending you, unfollow, friend request someone, and many more.
All of these words expanding our vocabulary… all of this lingo is now part of our vernacular.
What do you think of these new social media words and phrases?