From Niche to Mainstream
By the mid-2000s, the rise of social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter brought internet slang into the mainstream. Suddenly, everyone—from teenagers to celebrities to politicians—was using abbreviated terms to get their points across. Twitter’s 140-character limit (later expanded to 280) encouraged even more creative shorthand. Slang terms like “TBT” (Throwback Thursday) and “SMH” (shaking my head) became essential parts of the social media lexicon, allowing users to pack meaning into a limited space.
Memes also played a significant role in the spread of internet slang. These humorous images, videos, or pieces of text are often paired with specific phrases that become catchphrases in their own right. For example, “on fleek” (meaning perfectly done) became popular after a viral video of a woman complimenting her eyebrows in 2014. Soon, people were using “on fleek” in everyday conversation to describe anything from a stylish outfit to a delicious meal.