Technology & Internet

American internet slang, memes, and digital culture expressions

Introduction

The internet has supercharged the creation of American slang. Terms like "cap/no cap", "receipts", and "ratio" started online before spreading into everyday speech, while others like "main character" reflect how deeply social media shapes American culture.

This chapter covers American slang born from internet culture, social media, and the digital world — terms you'll encounter on Twitter, TikTok, and in everyday conversation.

Themes

All American Slang & Idioms in This Chapter (68)

• Go viral When content spreads rapidly across the internet, reaching a massive audience...
• Trending Currently popular or widely discussed on social media platforms.
• Ratio / Ratioed When a reply to a post gets significantly more likes or engagement than the o...
• Touch grass A dismissive way to tell someone they spend too much time online and should g...
• Terminally online Describes someone so immersed in internet culture that they've lost touch wit...
• Troll A person who deliberately provokes others online for amusement, or the act of...
• Clickbait Sensationalized or misleading headlines designed to get you to click on a link.
• Subtweet A post on social media that indirectly refers to someone without mentioning t...
• Lurker Someone who reads or watches online content without posting, commenting, or e...
• IRL In Real Life — used to distinguish between online interactions and face-to-fa...
• AFK Away From Keyboard — indicating you're temporarily stepping away from your de...
• BRB Be Right Back — a quick way to say you're stepping away briefly.
• DM Direct Message — a private message sent on social media, or the act of sendin...
• TL;DR Too Long; Didn't Read — a summary of lengthy content, or a complaint that som...
• Meme A funny image, video, or piece of text that spreads rapidly across the intern...
• Copypasta A block of text that gets repeatedly copied and pasted across the internet, o...
• Bot An automated account on social media, or a person who seems robotic or lacks ...
• Burner account A secondary, anonymous social media account used to post without being identi...
• Shadow banned When a platform secretly limits or hides your content without notifying you.
• Blue check A verified account on social media, or someone with perceived elite status on...
• Influencer A person who has built a large social media following and can sway their audi...
• Content creator Someone who produces and publishes digital content like videos, podcasts, or ...
• Binge-watch To watch multiple episodes of a TV show in rapid succession, often in one sit...
• Cord-cutting Canceling traditional cable or satellite TV in favor of streaming services.
• Streaming Watching or listening to content in real-time over the internet, or broadcast...
• Drop To release or launch something — a song, product, content, or collection.
• Unplug To deliberately disconnect from technology and digital devices.
• Glitch A malfunction, error, or unexpected problem, especially with technology.
• Lag A delay or slowdown, especially in internet speed or game response time.
• Buffering When media is loading slowly, causing pauses during playback, or a person who...
• Life hack A clever shortcut, trick, or strategy that makes everyday tasks easier or mor...
• Google it To look something up on the internet, typically using Google.
• Link in bio A phrase directing followers to the clickable link in someone's social media ...
• Like and subscribe The standard call-to-action phrase used by YouTubers asking viewers to engage...
• Rage quit To angrily quit a game, activity, or situation out of frustration.
• Noob A beginner or inexperienced person, especially in gaming or technology.
• GG Good Game — said at the end of a match as a sign of sportsmanship, or used to...
• Easter egg A hidden feature, message, or joke secretly included in software, games, movi...
• Bricked When a device becomes completely non-functional, as useful as a brick.
• Nerfed When something is weakened or made less powerful, especially in games or poli...
• AMA Ask Me Anything — an open Q&A format popularized by Reddit.
• Deep dive A thorough, in-depth exploration or investigation of a topic.
• Down the rabbit hole Getting deeply and obsessively absorbed in a topic or activity, especially on...
• The algorithm The mysterious system that determines what content you see on social media pl...
• Digital nomad A person who works remotely while traveling, using technology to earn a livin...
• Crypto bro A stereotypically overenthusiastic and often annoying cryptocurrency advocate...
• Paywall A system that blocks access to content unless you pay for a subscription.
• Deepfake AI-generated fake video or audio that realistically depicts someone saying or...
• Photoshopped Digitally altered or edited, especially to enhance or manipulate a photo.
• Screenshot A captured image of what's displayed on a screen, or the act of capturing one.
• Reboot To restart or refresh something completely, whether technology, a project, or...
• Spam Unwanted, unsolicited messages or content sent in bulk, or to overwhelm with ...
• Go dark To suddenly stop all online communication and social media activity.
• Unhinged Wild, chaotic, or bizarre behavior, especially online — used both critically ...
• Chronically online Excessively immersed in internet culture, often disconnected from mainstream ...
• Thread A series of connected posts on social media that form a longer narrative or a...
• Reply guy A man who constantly and persistently replies to someone's posts, especially ...
• Clout Social influence, fame, or popularity, especially on social media.
• Canceled Publicly rejected or boycotted, usually after a controversial action or state...
• Hot take A bold, controversial, or provocative opinion, often shared deliberately to g...
• Shill To promote something disingenuously while pretending to be unbiased, or a per...
• Deplatformed Banned or removed from a social media platform, losing your online audience.
• Storytime An announcement that you're about to share a dramatic or entertaining persona...
• Vlog A video blog — a personal, diary-style video typically posted on YouTube.
• Podcast bro A man who constantly references or recommends podcasts, especially long-form ...
• Main character A person who acts as if they're the protagonist of a movie, drawing attention...
• Block To prevent someone from contacting you or seeing your content on social media.
• Mute To silently hide someone's posts from your feed without unfollowing or blocki...