Any time a term receives a footnote in one of my newsletters, I also put it here! Stay relevant, my friends.
A-Z
ASMR: Video or audio content meant to soothe with close-to-the-mic noises. Think spsssspsss 1
Bangers: Something catchy and exciting 1
Beige flag: Not a red flag, but not a green flag 1
BookTok: An unofficial term for the algorithm on TikTok that targets book lovers 1
Deepfake: Realistic computer generated images or videos, often of celebrities or politicians 1
Deinfluencing: The process of undoing the influence of social media product marketing 1
Delulu: Short for “delusional,” big on TikTok 1
DM: Direct message 1
Edits: Fan-made videos, usually spliced together quickly with clips from the show 1
EGOT: The winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony 1
Fandom: A predominantly online group of fans 1
Fanficore: Reminiscent of a fanfiction aesthetic 1
FNAF: Acronym for Five Nights at Freddy’s 1
Gen Z shake: Picking up your phone at the start of filming, which gives it a shaky effect 1
GOAT: Greatest Of All Time 1
Golden Globes: Film and television awards 1
Gossip sesh: Gossip session. Synonym for “spilling the tea.”
Hard-launch: officially announce something (most commonly relationships) 1
Hot girl walk: A trend that encourages people to go on walks 1
IMO: In my opinion 1
Idk: I don’t know 1
Jk: Just kiddinggg 1
Journo Twitter: An unofficial term for the algorithm on Twitter that targets journalists
Lol: Laugh out loud 1
“Messy Girl” aesthetic: A casually cool, “I-just-rolled-out-of-bed-and-still-look-better-than-you” way of presenting oneself 1
Meme fest: When the meme goes viral, inspiring more memes 1
Meta: Instagram and Facebook’s parent company
#MeToo: A movement encouraging survivors to come forward with the truth about their sexual abusers following revelations about Harvey Weinstein. 1
Momstagram: An unofficial term for the algorithm on Instagram that targets moms
NGL: Not gonna lie 1
OG: “original gangster,” slang for the original version of something, usually superior to its successors 1
OP: “Overpowered.” Usually when a video game player has so much advantage that it becomes unfair 1
Photo dumps: A random collection of photos and videos “dumped” on social media all at once, usually on Instagram. See here. 1
Poppin’: popular and happenin’ 1
Private Instagram account: Sometimes called a “priv,” “private,” “burner account,” “spam account,” or “finsta,” this type of Instagram is usually reserved for close friends and sh*tposts 1
Scemo: Scene/emo music, which I discovered was a music genre upon being recommended it 1
Sims: A popular video game that simulates real life 1
Situationship: An undefined relationship that drags on without clarity 1, 2, 3
Spilling the Tea: Synonym for gossip session 1
Subreddits: Niche, online communities on Reddit 1
Swiftie: Taylor Swift fan 1
User-generated content: Social media posts created by fans, rather than companies 1