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THE SOCIAL MEDIA JARGON

A Research

Mark Leo B. Baluyot

In Partial Fulfilment

of the Requirements for the subject

LangLit 800

(Methods of Research)

Summer 2016
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Chapter One
INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Language is powerful. It is the most effective means of

communication among us humans. From the threshold of time,

language has been the sole medium of conveying thoughts and

abstract ideas into sound-bound words. Every day, whatever else

people do when they come together – whether they play, fight,

make love or invent something – they talk. It is a world of

language that we are living in. We talk to our closest

acquaintances to total strangers. It is by language that we begin

to learn, understand and communicate to other intellectuals.

Though there is a thin line between the actual origins of

any founding languages, it is apparent that various languages

have already emerged and evolved. From the long-dead Latin to the

controversial Gay Lingo and other languages put a mark as part of

the languages the world has introduced. But no matter what

language we speak, there is only one reason why it is created –

to unite us.

While many areas of the world are populated by people

speaking divergent languages, the desire of social, commercial,

as well as, religious communication heightened. By this, a

language that is often used by common agreement has been born.

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Such a language is called Lingua Franca. Today, English has been

hailed as the “Lingua Franca of the world.”

Yet, time and time again, languages have developed and

evolved into a more complex yet with more functional dynamics.

Some of these are the creation of slangs, jargons and secret

languages. Slangs are words, expressions, and meanings that are

informal and are used by people who know each other very well or

who have the same interests; jargons refer to specialized terms

or expressions of a particular group or field; while secret

languages are creative languages designed by a significant number

of speakers to keep their conversation in private.

Everyday, every generation, every group of people has

devised numbers of uncountable languages like the aforementioned.

Examples of these are the Police Slang (e.g. hoopty for car,

dimday for dusk, mud duck for woman, tray-eight for 0.38 caliber,

out of the box for kill); Computer Jargon (e.g. modem, bit,

floppy, RAM, ROM); and the Cockney Rhyming Slang (Cain and Abel

for table, cows and kisses for missus). These special languages

are used either as means of identifying with a special group, for

fun, or to prevent others from knowing what is being said.

In the latter part of the 20th century, during the birth of

computers and the advancement of high-tech computing

technologies, as well as, the internet, a more classified yet a

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more learnable and accessible language by anyone, anywhere in the

world was conceived – the Social Media Jargon.

The Social Media Jargon is an internet language or

terminologies vogue through blogs and social networking sites,

such as Facebook and Twitter, by the digital natives of the

iGeneration. It has introduced number of new words and meanings,

as well as, new meaning from the usual definition of existing

words. Also, some of these words have already entered the English

lexicon and some remain as part of the mushrooming internet

language.

With this, the researcher attempted to gather terminologies

and expressions which have been introduced and popularized within

the cohort of the social media, as well as, tried to analyze

their morphological and semantic etymology.

I. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

This study tried to identify and gather words and

expressions from blogs and the social media, e.g. Facebook,

Twitter, and tried to analyze and find out their morphological

and semantic etymology.

Specifically, it attempted at answering the following

questions:
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1. What is Social Media Jargon?

2. What are examples of Social Media Jargon?

3. How are they formed?

4. What are their meanings?

II. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

This study aimed to:

1. give the definition of Social Media Jargon;

2. gather examples of Social Media Jargon;

3. determine how some of these words are formed; and

4. define some of them.

III. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This was deemed beneficial to the following:

Language Enthusiasts. This study will remind them how a

language transforms and transpires overtime. Also, this will be

of great help as a learning reference on the governing rules of

morphology and importance of word coinage on the evolution of

language.

Learning Society. This work will be a concrete example of

what might the future language would be. It will be a reference

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that will remind them how people through any means of

communication can contribute to the evolution of language. This,

consequently, will inspire and encourage them in developing and

using a language that is more informal, discernible and

accessible globally tos everyone.

IV. SCOPE AND LIMITATION

The researcher focused on gathering words and expressions

popularized and widely-used through the social media. By means of

purposive sampling, the researcher collected fifty (50)

terminologies and expressions that are consistently or at least

creatively used in some blogs and social networking sites, e.g.

Facebook, Twitter, and became influential to the people using it.

The words and expressions gathered were categorized according to

their morphological and semantic beginning. To wit:

1. Words with new coined meanings (15 words)

2. New coined words (10 words)

3. Blends (8 words)

4. Words formed by adding suffixes –erati and –ista (8

words)

5. Acronyms (7 words)

6. Clipping (1 word)
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7. Resurrected word (1 word)

V. DEFINITION OF TERMS

The researcher conceptually and operationally defined the

following terms mentioned in the study to further the

understanding of the readers:

Acronym. Conceptually and operationally, refers to words

derived from the initial of several words.

Examples:
laser from light amplification by stimulated emission
of radiation
scuba from self-contained underwater breathing
apparatus
FAQ (frequently asked questions)

Blend. Conceptually and operationally, refers to a word

derived by combining two words.

Examples:
Smog (smoke + fog)
Motel (motorist + hotel)
Urinalysis (urine + analysis)
Clipping. Conceptually and operationally, refers to a word

derived by abbreviating longer words or phrases.

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Examples:
Bike for bicycle
Bus for omnibus
Van for vanguard

Digital Natives. Conceptually and operationally, are the

people who are born during or after the introduction of digital

technologies, such as computers.

Etymology. Conceptually and operationally, refers to the

origin and historical development of a particular word.

iGeneration. Conceptually and operationally, are the digital

natives.

Jargon. Conceptually and operationally, refers to words and

expressions that are used in special or technical ways by a

particular group of people, often making the language difficult

to understand.

Lexicon. Conceptually and operationally, refers to the

mental storehouse or collection of words specialized and

standardized that are commonly use by all or a specific group of

people.

Lingua Franca. Conceptually and operationally, refers to a

language or way of communicating which is used between people who

do not speak another’s native language.

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Morphology. Conceptually and operationally, is the study of

how words are constructed or formed.

Semantics. Conceptually and operationally, concerns with the

meanings of words.

Slang. Conceptually and operationally, refers to a word or

expression that is informal and is used by people who know each

other very well or who have the same interests.

Suffix. Conceptually and operationally, refers to a letter

or group of letters which is added to the end of the word in

order to form a different word, often of a different word class.

VI. RESEARCH DESIGN AND PROCEDURE

This study was designed in order to come up with an

inventory of the words introduced and popularized by the social

media, including the morphological and semantic analysis of each

word.

The researcher followed a pattern wherein, he first selected

fifty (50) of the most influential, popular and widely-used words

from blogs and the social networking sites Facebook and Twitter.

Then, the researcher proceeded to observing the selected words

including how they are used conceptually and operationally on web

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messaging. Finally, after thorough observation, the researcher

analyzed how these words are formed and acquired their meanings.

VII. PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

The Social Media Jargon refers to newly classified words and

expressions that were introduced, popularized and widely-used by

people through blogs and social networking sites, particularly

Facebook and Twitter. The term was coined by the Digital Natives

or the group of people who are mostly comfortable with digital

technology and understand the value of social media in their

daily lives, especially as a mean of communication.

Fifteen (15) of the selected words were already part of the

Standard English language but are reintroduced with new

definitions; ten (10) are new coined words or words that are

initially introduced through the social media; eight (8) of which

are blends; eight (8) examples of words that have been formed by

adding suffix –erati and –ista; seven (7) examples of social

media acronyms; one (1) clipping; and one (1) resurrected word or

a word that has been fell out of use and now has been put to

productive use.
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The following are the final inventory of words gathered by

the researcher, categorized according to what is enumerated

above:

Table 1 Words with new coined meaning

Word Dictionary Meaning Social Media Meaning

astroturfing (verb) to lay a plastic (noun) a fake online

lawn grass-roots movement

follow (verb) to move along (verb) to keep updated

behind someone by the recent activity,
event or happening of
someone

friend (noun) a person with (noun) a contact on a

whom one has a bond of social networking site
mutual affection

hit (verb) to deliberately (noun) a single visit to

touch someone or a website
something with force

like (verb) to indicate (verb) to indicate one’s

one’s liking or liking or approval of a
approval web page or posting on a
social media website by
activating a particular
icon

(noun) an instance
indicating one’s liking
or approval of a web
page or posting on a
social media website

poke (verb) to quickly push (verb) on the social

them with your finger networking site
or with a sharp object Facebook, it means to
attract the attention of
another member of the
site using the ‘poke’
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facility.

sock puppet (noun) a puppet made (noun) a self-serving

from old socks fake online persona

status (noun) the state of (noun) a posting on a

affairs of something at networking website that
a particular time or indicates a user’s
someone’s current current situation, state
social of professional of mind or opinion about
position something

surf (verb) to ride on big (verb) to browse or look

waves in the sea on a at information on the
special board web by pointing and
clicking and navigating

tag (verb) to attached an (verb) to include a

identifying slip to friend in a social
networking site as co-
author of a status or
picture posted

thread (noun) a long very thin (noun) a chain of

piece of material such postings on a single
as cotton, nylon, or subject in a newsgroup
silk, especially one or a website
that is used in sewing

timeline (noun) a visual (noun) in Facebook, a

representation of a space that allows people
sequence of events, to curate the material
especially historical on their own profiles to
events spotlight significant
events, posts, and other
activities

troll (noun) an ugly creature (noun) someone who posts

in Norse Mythology who controversial,
lives in caves or inflammatory, irrelevant
mountains and steals or off-topic messages in
children an online community
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tweet (noun) a short, high- (noun) a posting in

pitched sound made by Twitter that indicates a
small bird user’s situation, state
of mind or opinion about
something, operated
within the creative
constrains of 140
characters

Table 1 presents the words which are already part of the

Standard English language but are reintroduced with new

definitions.

Table 2 New coined words

Word Meaning

beatboxing (verb) to produce different bass sounds using

only the mouth and the vocal chords

blog (noun) an online journal about any subject that

is updated on a regular basis with entries that
appear in reverse chronological order

blogsphere (noun) the collective weblogs on the internet

google (verb) to browse or look at information on the

web, particularly on the website Google.com

hashtag (verb) to put emphasis on a controversial or

talked about topic, particularly on the social
networking site Twitter. It is employed by
putting the hash symbol # before an abbreviated
phrase or topic

mashup (noun)
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Variations:

 Music mashup is a combination of two or more

songs; generally, the vocal of one song is
overlaid on top of the melody of another.
 Video mashup is the result of combining two
or more pieces of videos, such as news
footage with original commentary.
 Web mashup is the result when a programmer
overlays information from a database or
another source on top of an existing
website.

selfie (noun) a photo of you

(verb) to take a photo of you

spam (noun) an unwanted e-mails, photos or comment

appearing on someone’s web feed

spamming (verb) to speak, post or comment aimlessly on a

mishmash of topics

Web feed (noun) a format that provides users with

frequently updated content of a social networking
website

Table 2 presents new coined words or words that are

initially introduced through the social media.

Table 3 Blends

Word Combined Words

flunami influenza + tsunami

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edutainment educational + entertainment

emoticon emotion + icon

guesstimate guess + estimate

mockumentary mock + documentary

netizens internet + citizens

smushi smorgasbord (Scandinavian open sandwich)

+ (Japanese) sushi

staycation Stay + vacation

Table 3 presents words that are derived from combining two

words.

Table 4 Words formed by adding suffixes –erati and –ista

Word Meaning

-erati

bloggerati (noun) a blog enthusiast

chatterati (noun) a chat addict

digirati (noun) an expert in information technology

glamourati (noun) a fashion aficionado

glitterati (noun) ‘glittering’ stars of show business and

smart society

soccerati (noun) a football specialist

Twitterati (noun) someone who is well-verse with the social

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networking site Twitter

-ista

frugalista/ (noun) someone who manages to dress in a

recessionista fashionable and stylish way without spending a
lot of money.

In table 4, words like Twitterati was derived from literati,

a term borrowed from Latin in the 17 th century and used to

describe people who are well-educated and well-read. So -erati

has become a useful suffix and a convenient way of giving a name

to some elite group of people in a particular sphere.

On the other hand, the Spanish ending –ista has been used

productively in English for a while to describe a devotee or

admirer of something or someone, especially in political

contexts. For example, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair

had his Blairistas and US politician Sarah Palin has her

Palinista.

Table 5 Acronyms

Acronym Meaning

BRB be right back

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HBD happy birthday

IDK I don’t know

LOL laughing out loud

OMG Oh my God!

OOTD outfit of the day

YOLO you only live once

Table 5 presents the acronyms of some of the most popular

expressions used in social media and mobile messaging. In the

social networking site Twitter, acronyms are usually associated

with the hashtag wherein, an acronym is placed after the hash

symbol # to emphasize a most talked about topic. For example,

#YOLO

Table 6 Clipping

Word Meaning

app (noun) the abbreviation of the word

‘application’. Popularized by the iPhone, an app
is simply an application that performs a specific
function on your computer or handheld device.
Apps run the gamut from Web browsers and games to
specialized programs like digital recorders,
online chat or music player.

Table 6 presents an example of a clipping or a word formed

by abbreviating another word. It is also known as Abbreviation.

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Table 7 Resurrected Word

Word Old Meaning New Meaning

unfriend (noun) one who is not a (verb) to remove someone

friend or on friendly from a list of friends or
terms; an enemy contacts on a social
networking website

Table 7 presents an example of a word resurrected and put to

productive use. The word ‘unfriend’ existed as a noun in the

early 13th century, fell out of use, and then unintentionally

restored and had a revival in the wake of Facebook social

dynamics.

VIII. SUMMARY

This study was conducted to produce an inventory and

analysis of the Social Media Jargon. This classified jargon

includes words, terminologies or expressions which have been

introduced, popularized and widely-used by internet users through

blogs and social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter.

By means of purposive sampling, the researcher gathered fifty

(50) words and expressions from Facebook and Twitter. The

researcher analyzed these words according to their morphological

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and semantic etymology and categorized them into the following:

New coined words, Words with new coined meanings, Blends, Words

formed using the suffixes –erati and –ista, Acronyms, a Clipping

and a Resurrected word.

Through this study, the researcher found out that like any

words and terminologies that had entered the Standard Language,

the social media jargons also have undergone through the

processes of word coinage, e.g. abbreviating, blending, clipping,

and forming acronyms.

Also, it was found out that the words collected on the

inventory of Social Media Jargon were used mainly through

Facebook and Twitter, two of the leading social networking sites

all over the world.

IX. CONCLUSIONS

Culled from the result of the analysis undertaken, the

researcher has drawn the following conclusions:

1. The social media has prompted a subtler revolution in the

way we communicate. Because of this, our communication

styles consequently become more informal and more open.

As a result, we tend to craft intentionally and

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unintentionally words that can be more comfortably and

conveniently use by anyone, anywhere in the world.

2. The social media has become the springboard in the

introduction of word trends that will contribute to the

evolution of language.

3. Since the social media is used globally, the introduction

of these jargons worldwide might initiate people around

the world in establishing a language that can be utilized

by everyone.

X. RECOMMENDATIONS

In the light of the conclusions arrived at in this study,

the following recommendations are hereby given:

1. A comparative study can be done between the difference of

Computer Jargon and Social Media Jargon.

2. A study can also be done on the effect of the social

media on a person’s linguistic knowledge and competence.

3. A morphological and semantic analysis of the etymology of

Lavender Linguistics or the controversially-known as Gay

Lingo can also be studied.

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