Conversational internet acronyms and slang
Most social media acronyms are less business-related and more casual and conversational. A lot of them have been around online for years, while others are a bit more recent. You’ll often find these acronyms used in public posts that your followers make or share, or in their comments on your posts.
It’s good to know what these social media abbreviations mean so you know what your audience is saying and provide them with a relevant response if needed. Some of these abbreviations are also used as hashtags, and you can take advantage of them for better visibility.
AFAIK – As far as I know
AMA – Ask me anything. Often used by celebrities, influencers, industry experts and regular social media users as an open invite for questions.
BRB – Be right back
BTAIM – Be that as it may
BTS – Behind the scenes. Use this social media acronym when you’re giving your followers a behind-the-scenes look at what your brand is doing.
BTW – By the way
DAE – Does anyone else…?
DYK – Did you know…?
ELI5 – Explain like I’m five. Often used in forums like Reddit when people are looking for the simplest explanation to more complex topics.
FBF – Flashback Friday. A theme in which people share old pictures or posts with their followers/
FBO – Facebook official. When you make a public announcement on Facebook about a live event such as a new relationship, a change of job, etc.
FF – Follow Friday. A trend that started out on Twitter and involves giving a shoutout to people that you think deserve more recognition and followers.
FOMO – Fear of missing out. This often spurs people’s desire to keep up with social media in general, and is also often tapped for marketing such as through limited deals, exclusive product reveals and other tactics.
FTFY – Fixed that for you
FTW – For the win
FYI – For your information
or GTG – Got to go
– Good game
GTR – Got to run
HBD – Happy birthday
HIFW – How I feel when…
HMB – Hit me back
HMU – Hit me up
HT or H/T – Hat tip. Used for acknowledging, appreciating or thanking other users.
HTH – Here to help or happy to help
ICYMI – In case you missed it. Typically used when sharing content that’s not too current.
IDC – I don’t care
IDK – I don’t know
IKR – I know, right?
ILY – I love you
IMHO – In my humble opinion
IMO – In my opinion
IRL – In real life
JK – Just kidding. Used for conveying a light-hearted tone.
LMAO – Laughing my a** off
LMK – Let me know
LMS – Like my status. Used for inviting people to engage with a post.
LOL – Laughing out loud
MCM – Man crush Monday. Chipotle put its own twist to this abbreviation to fit the product
MTFBWY – May the Force be with you. A “Star Wars” reference commonly used to give encouragement.
NBD – No big deal
NM – Not much
NSFW – Not safe for work
NVM – Never mind
OH – Used as context for quotes
OMW – On my way
OOTD – Outfit of the day
OP – Original poster
OTP – One true pairing. Commonly used in fandoms. Refers to two people or fictional characters that you consider the perfect pair/couple.
PPL – People
ROFL – Rolling on the floor laughing
ROFLMAO – Rolling on the floor laughing my a** off
SFW – Safe for work
SMH – Shaking my head. Used to express shock or disappointment
TBH – To be honest
TBBH – To be brutally honest
TBT – Throwback Thursday. Like FBF, this involves sharing old photos or posts.
TFW – That feeling when… Used for sharing a relatable experience.
TGIF – Thank God it’s Friday
TIL – Today I learned…
TL;DR – Too long; didn’t read. Here’s an example of Slack using this acronym along with some of the other ones we’ve mentioned earlier. This may look like overkill but in the case of Slack, it fits the brand personality and shows an attempt to get the message across clearly with a bit of humor:
TMI – Too much information
WBU – What about you?
WBW – Way back Wednesday. Follows the same theme as FBF and TBT
WFH – Work from home
YOLO – You only live once
