FTW, 15 abbreviations you didn't know about
Here in the 21st century, life can move pretty fast. To cope with this age of high speed communication new abbreviations are entering the common lexicon at a faster rate than ever before.
These of course are intended to make typing online messages and social media posts faster, but if you're over 20 it can be hard to keep up. Earlier this year, it emerged that the FBI itself maintains an 83-page+ glossary of internet slang.
Even with a background in copywriting and online marketing, we're always coming across new ones we've not encountered before, and we thought it might be helpful to share some of the juiciest ones with you.
RT – Retweet. Just to start you off gentle, RT is a term that has been around for a while and means to repost, or 'retweet' something that someone else has posted on Twitter.
TL;DR – Too Long; Didn't Read – If you see this come up in a comment under one of your blog posts then it might be time to cut back on the words and find a more succinct way of communicating.
IMMD – It Made My Day – This could be used to describe anything from a funny cat video to seeing an old friend or reading a particularly interesting post on Buzzfeed.
SMH – Shaking My Head – A good example of an internet abbreviation which describes a literal real world action. If someone is shaking their head at you online they're far from impressed.
ELI5 – Explain Like I'm Five – When people look on the internet for information, they usually don't expect to need a relevant degree. ELI5 is a request for a simple and easy to understand explanation of a perhaps difficult concept.
TBH – To Be Honest - Another oldish term relatively speaking, often used on the internet or in text messages prior to expressing a perhaps unpopular opinion.
WBU – What about you? – This is commonly used to request another person's opinion on a subject after stating your own opinion.
NP – No problem – If you receive this as a response then it's a sign that all is good, or that thanks are being acknowledged.
IDK – I Don't Know – Used when a person doesn't know the answer to a question or a request for information.
OATUS – On A Totally Unrelated Subject – Useful if you want to change the direction that the comments thread on your post is taking.
FTW – For The Win – Perhaps one of the most overused abbreviations at the moment (eg. 'Having a jacket potato FTW') but when used sparingly with perfect timing the result can be quite humorous. FTW basically means that something is considered awesome, but you should also be aware that this is often used sarcastically (eg.'2 hour wait for a bus in the rain, FTW')
JK – Just Kidding – This also indicates sarcasm, and means that the previous comment was meant in jest and was not intended to be taken seriously.
MEGO – My Eyes Glaze(d) Over – MEGO is generally used when something is either really boring or really complicated.
TBT – Throwback Thursday – Some abbreviations are specific to certain social platforms, though their use can spill over into other areas of the internet. Throwback Thursday is one such term which originated as a way for Instagram users to post photographs from the past rather than those which are current. It has since been adopted by some users on other social sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
SHCOON – Shoot Hot Coffee out of Nose – Though this painful sounding abbreviation made the FBI's top 3,000 internet slang terms, it's rarely used, and suggests that something is extremely funny.
Any interesting or useful abbreviations we forgot to mention? Share yours in the comments section!
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