Instagram has been around for almost 15 years, and the platform became so popular during the process that the community has created original slang for the platform. While this slang has no direct effect on how we use our platform on a daily basis, it certainly made interacting with other users more fun and engaging. Considering we have been spending hours on the platform every day, adapting to this slang language could make us feel more invested in the community. Considering this information, you could be wondering what slang for Instagram is and what some of the examples are.
Let’s review some of the most frequently used slang words on Instagram, and investigate how these words could improve our overall social media experience.
Slang for Instagram Can Create a Sense of Identity
Social media platforms have been fundamental parts of our lives for over 15 years, and our communication habits co-evolved with the existence of these platforms. We include more phrases in our everyday lives that are commonly used on social media platforms. During this process, slang for Instagram has come into existence and helped the community to form a deep sense of identity.
Let’s investigate how Instagram slang may help the community to form a sense of identity and how it has been revolutionary for the development of social media platforms.
1. Common Habits, Common Values
Instagram’s large community has been continuously expanding over the years, as thousands of new users are joining the platform every day. Still, regardless of when you join the platform, the habits of the community can make you feel at home and render it easier for you to adapt to the already existing values. Instagram slang has been of great use on that account and has helped numerous new users adopt a sense of identity during their time on Instagram.
When I was a newcomer on the platform, I remember myself being immersed in the comments section of the reels I watched, thanks to the common slang everyone was using. Seeing people using similar words and acronyms were similar reasons made me feel that I belonged in the community, and it took me virtually no time to start using the same slang! Now, I feel at home when I’m on Instagram!
2. Minimalizing Social Media Traditions
The usage of slang words has been revolutionary for social media platforms due to many reasons. Apart from providing a sense of identity for everyone involved, Instagram slang has been helpful in providing a more minimalistic, target-oriented, and unique social media experience for the community. Nowadays, many users prefer using short and direct captions instead of long texts, and the messages of posts and videos are more understandable.
As an avid social media user for over 10 years, the adaptation of slang has been life-changing for my social media experience. Witnessing the transition from long texts to simple acronyms proved to be a major time-saving element for me, without taking out the fun of using social media platforms! Now, I directly search for the slang words in captions and comments, and this makes me connect with my beloved online community!
Slang for Instagram Contains Numerous Examples
Until now, we have covered how slang for Instagram has been revolutionary for the daily usage of social media platforms, and how the phenomenon could have affected our way of interacting with the large community.
There are various examples considering Instagram slang, but there are some abbreviations that are more commonly used by the community. Let’s investigate these abbreviations and examine how and why they are so popular.
1. Slang for Everyday Posts
People use common Instagram slang for their daily Instagram posts and stories. For instance, one of the most popular Instagram slang, TBT, short for Throwback Thursday, is used to post a picture from the past. Similarly, you can use the abbreviation OOTD, short for Outfit of the Day, to share your daily outfit with your followers, without an additional explanation in your caption.
To be honest, it’s difficult to go back to using longer captions once you get used to using Instagram slang! As an editor for a news page, it was common practice for me to post news from various newspapers and pages. Once I started using the caption #Regram to repost this news on my stories, it was difficult to back to writing long captions! I found the middle ground now, and I use the caption with a shorter paragraph!
2. Slang to Motivate People
Although Instagram was once a platform to share pictures and videos, it’s now a hub to connect millions of people across the globe. Hence, many influencers and content creators harness this connective power of Instagram to motivate and direct people towards a healthier lifestyle. Slang words are very helpful in establishing a sense of identity for the fitness community of Instagram.
The slang #Fitfam stands for the fitness family of Instagram and is used to reach people who seek motivation in their fitness journey. Moreover, a similar hashtag #Fitspo is commonly used to post fitness pictures after training by both athletes and people who are in the process of reaching their goals. This slang helped me to gather enough motivation to reach my yearly fitness goals!
Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q.)
1. What Does “GOAT” Mean in Instagram Slang?
This abbreviation stands for the “Greatest of All Time”, and is commonly used to indicate athletes who are among the best in their respective sport. You could see this phrase being actively used in the comments section of athletes like Lebron James and Rafael Nadal!
2. Is “DM” an Instagram Slang?
Absolutely! “DM” stands for “Direct Message”, and is among the oldest slang words that are used by Instagram’s community. The slang “DM” is used to initiate personal contact on the platform, and is now a tradition!
3. How Can I Use #SquadGoals on Instagram?
Simply share a picture with your group of friends and use the hashtag to tell the world how much your friends mean to you!