If you have been online within the last decade, it’s likely that you know about the rise and propagation of internet slang terms often associated with media created by or for Generations Z and Alpha. These words, such as “skibidi,” that seem nearly intelligible to an unsuspecting Facebook connoisseur, or phrases coined in parallel to memes, lose meaning outside their target audience. Though these terms and references may have existed individually for some time, they have recently gained traction from new audience groups, resulting in new misinterpretations and misunderstandings. Changing the context of such words can mean the difference between a grammatically valid sentence and one considered “brain rot.” However, just like slang words from one hundred years ago, these seemingly primitive phrases reveal important information about the people who developed them and the time from which they emerged. 

The unique nature of these developments begs the question of whether this is some crude degradation of speech due to social media, or simply another rite of passage in the development of spoken language. Throughout the annals of time, there have been clear differences in communication patterns, particularly seen in literature; however, simplified or altered speech known as slang only emerged during 1800’s England among the lower-class of criminals. Throughout the next century, it had developed in both Europe and the United States into a network of subcultures consisting of people united by common factors. Since slang is defined as a dialectical system with terms often catered to a particular group of people, the present rise of internet slang still aligns with the original definition of slang.

Historically, slang terms were generated in characteristic communities that included mafia members and drug addicts, with little diffusion of these terms beyond. Therefore, terms and forms of communication tended to stay within their own communities. This is starkly contrasted with the extent of communication that has presently transcended geographic, and in some cases, linguistic barriers, thanks to social media and other forms of the internet. Perhaps the most notable difference lies in the transmitters and audience of the information, which are roles filled by members of the younger generation. However, the current perception of slang is unlike others because of its global impact through online media and integration into different parts of daily speech. In this way, the terms generated from mass media could easily find themselves in the classroom dictionary. All words have some origin, and sometimes it only takes one catalyzing action to spin together a popular term that may well contribute to the blueprint of spoken language.

This prompts questions of whether the spoken English language will be altered by the addition of these terms in the next decade or so, and whether or not their impact will be bound to the closed-off online communities, similar to their forebears. Extending beyond tendencies in speech, the implications of such linguistic developments are heavily intertwined with the internet, social media, and the community it caters to, with a global impact larger than ever seen before. So, regardless of whether today’s memes become the staple of professional conversation tomorrow, the sheer level of connectivity achieved by the online world stands as a testament to the future of global communication in an ever-evolving age.

Information retrieved from Encyclopedia Britannica.