Internet words and the rise of influencers
So, what’s the deal with these internet words/phrases that just do not stop popping up? It feels like by the time your brain has wrapped itself around the meaning of one word, another has popped up to take its place! Kids, especially tweens, nowadays are out here spewing out words like “dabbing” and “dope” and “hella!”
Some of these kids are out here saying things and I’m not even sure what they are. honestly can anyone clearly explain “yeet”? More and more internet created words keep inserting themselves into everyday language, and their use is so integral to the younger generations that these words are now being added to official dictionaries.
Yet, who decides what words are now “in” and understood? That’s where “influencers” come in. Influencers are, simply put, people who have garnered a viral social media following that can influence the conversation on their selected social media platform. It is this influence on the conversation that allows them to send a new internet-based word to the heights of popularity and relevancy.
The emergence of social media influencers has been recent and rapidly expanding. An influencer has the power to command their fanbase and because of this, they are highly sought after by companies and businesses to run ads on their social media page.
These influencers have such high degree of sway within their communities that they can even lead targeted harassment attacks on other social media pages. This degree of fanaticism within an influencer’s fanbase is so high that they are willing to pay a monthly subscription fee to have access to their social media posts.
As it is a new career choice, the internal rules are not clear-cut. There do not seem to be any concrete repercussions for the any actions of internet influencers. However, with the unclear “laws” of being an influencer, there is no better time to become one.
More and more popular outlets are rising by the handful. The future is unclear; no one is sure what words or phrases are going to be the next popular fad. It will be interesting to witness, however.
Taking all this in consideration, it’s easy to feel frustrated that language seems to be losing the meaning that you’ve applied to it your whole life. That’s the thing about language, though, it isn’t static; it is constantly changing and evolving.
All words are made up, so if you find yourself getting frustrated over the surge of words and phrases appearing that you don’t understand, don’t. Instead, take pride in the fact that the language you’ve been speaking for decades is still fresh and representative of its new generation of users.