Just as technology has taken a great leap forward, so has language. Technology and the Internet impact our everyday lexicon. The Internet is fertile ground for new terms. With so many new inventions, there is nothing stopping people from manipulating and conjoining words to make new terms. New vocabulary and phrases that didn’t exist 3 years ago, even 5 years ago, are now widely used. Many of these new words can be found on a website called Urban Dictionary. It is a website full of jargon related to the internet.
The verb 'to photobomb' is a new word that was first used in 2008. It means to move into someone's photo without them knowing. This word became popular as more and more people had smartphones with cameras.
Meanwhile, other words have a new meaning to them. An example of this is the word ‘wireless.’ In the past, it referred to just the radio. Now, it includes any digital device, mobile phone, tv, or computer that is connected through signals.
Twitter has popularized the word 'tweet.’ It used to only mean a sound that a bird makes. Now when people talk about 'tweets,' they could be talking about messages on Twitter! "Twitter was rebranded to X on July 23rd 2023."
If you are a gamer, you will already know the word 'bot.' A bot, short for robot, is a computer program that plays instead of a human. Before gaming, the word was used to mean a worm or maggot. But since 2000, it has taken on a new meaning.
Ailments that come with life in front of a computer screen have also been given new names. ‘Computer face’ is having frown lines that appear from staring at a screen. ‘Laptop thigh’ is a rash on your legs from the heat of a laptop. ‘Gorilla arm’ is when your arm hurts from holding up a touchscreen device.
Technology has also changed the meaning for symbols such as the #, or hashtag. In the past, it was used in music to show that there was a sharp note. Today, it is used on social media as a way to identify specific topics. This makes the message easily searched.
Phones have made language simpler. People use words and phrases with abbreviations when sending messages. Many of these shortened words and symbols had only been invented a few years ago. One of the most popular abbreviations is 'LOL' (laugh out loud). Similarly, other countries have adopted their own version of 'LOL' as well. In France, there is ‘mdr’ (mort de rire), which translates to ‘dying of laughter.’ In Sweden, there is ‘asg’ from the word asgarv, meaning ‘intense laughter.’ In Thailand, the number 5 means the Thai letter ‘h.’ When you put three of them together, 555, it translates into ‘hahaha.'
Some of us are having fun speaking with technology. However, some find the topic controversial. Many are concerned that technology is having a negative effect on literacy skills in young students. There was one case in Scotland where a 13-year-old student wrote about her summer holiday in text language. The newspapers heard about this and the story became famous. Many people sent in letters to express their opinions on this.
All these new words and phrases are becoming part of our day-to-day communication. Technology is allowing people to experiment and be creative with written communication. How many new words will there be next year?
Note - Twitter was rebranded to X on July 23rd 2023.