KC Computers

NetSpeak: Guide to the Latest Internet Slang

Written by admin on April 6th, 2011

With this fast changing virtual beast that is the Internet, it’s a little challenging to keep abreast of the latest coined computer terminology. Of course, if you’re the traditional type, you’re likely to steer clear of this cyber jargon. But it can’t be denied that knowledge of these words certainly has its advantages. Here’s a list of these expressions and their meanings.

Google. Yes, yes, we all know Google is a search engine. However, it has found its way into daily conversations too. In fact, both Merriam Webster and Oxford Dictionaries now list this “word”. As a noun it of course refers to the well-known web-based search engine. And as a verb, it refers to the act of using the search engine to find out anything and everything about something on the Internet. So, now  if you are ever told to “Just Google it!”, at least you won’t be left standing there like a lemon.

Facebook. Yup, you probably already know that Facebook is a social networking site, but the combination of words is more than that actually, if you consider how it has come to be used in everyday language. Much like Google, Facebook too is used to search for data, but unlike Google, it is mostly employed to find details about people. Information such as a person’s relationship status, school, and even address or phone number are just some of the gems you may discover if you “facebook” someone.

Tweet. This word of course denotes the chirping sounds birds make. However, it now also refers to both the act of posting and the postings itself on the micro-blogging site Twitter. So when you want to make something known by your Twitter followers, say, a joke or a rumor, you then “tweet” them a “tweet” from your mobile phone. And this word has evolved, thanks to avid Twitter users who just loves to use less and less keystrokes. Now there’s “retweet,” which is oftentimes abbreviated as “RT,” and simply means copying a tweet for purposes of sending to one’s own Twitter followers. There’s MRT as well, which stands for “modified retweet,” or in layman’s terms, simply means an editing to a tweet.

LOL. This is an Internet short-hand which means “laugh out loud.” Many abbreviations have sprung up and most of these are simply variations. There’s “ROFL” meaning “rolling on the floor laughing,” or LMAO which translates to “laughing my ass off.” Sometimes, these two short-hand terms are combined to become ROFLMAO and used to imply extreme amusement over someone or something.

GTG. This is sometimes typed as G2G, and is a short-hand for the statement “got to go.” GTG is often used when one party needs to leave an online chat session.

AFK. A short-hand meaning “away from keyboard.” It is often used during chat sessions or as a status message on one’s instant messenger. It serves to inform online contacts that one won’t be able to respond immediately since one isn’t currently in front of the PC.

BRB. This chat-speak means “be right back.”  This is more commonly used as a status message on one’s instant messenger. Much like “AFK” it functions as a notification to online contacts that one is not in front of the computer but will be back in a short while.

POS. A little ditty  meaning “parent over shoulder.” It is commonly used by teenagers to both inform and warn online contacts that mom or dad is looking over. A variation of this is MOS which stands for “mom over shoulder.” CD9, a short-hand for Code 9, PAW for “parents are watching,” and PIR for “parent in room” are also common variations denoting that parents are currently in close proximity.

NTS. An abbreviation meaning “note to self.” May be used as the subject of an email to one’s self to serve as a personal reminder of what needs to be done.

@. The “at” sign is primarily used by “tweeters”. It is typed in front of a Twitter username to signal that a particular tweet is meant for the person specified. Use of this sign is considered crucial as it helps eliminate confusion, and inevitably misunderstandings, over tweets that might be deemed vague.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, April 6th, 2011 at 7:49 am and is filed under Fun, Internet. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.