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Internet slang refers to a variety of slang languages used in digital communications. A common example is "LOL" meaning "laugh out loud", used to express a humorous reaction. Though standardized definitions of Internet slang are difficult to provide due to the constant changes made to its nature, it is understood to be words that Internet users have popularized, and in many cases, coined. Slang terms often originate as a way to save keystroke or to compensate for small character limits (like the 140 character limit on the popular micro-blogging website Twitter); many people use the same abbreviations in texting, instant messaging, and on social networking websites.

Creation and evolution

Origins

Internet slang originated between 1983-1990 (the beginnings of the modern-day Internet) with some terms also appearing in use prior. It is used in most digital communications, including but not limited to chat rooms, social networking, online games, email and video games.

In Pop Culture

Aside from Standard English abbreviations, acronyms, and emoticons (emojis), Internet slang also uses archaic words or the lesser-known meanings of mainstream terms. Common words can also be attributed new meanings. Phonetic transcriptions of foreign words, such as the transformation of "impossible" into "impossibru" in Japanese and then [the transliteration of that] back to latin characters, also occur. In places where logographic languages are used, such as China, visual or homonym Internet slang exists, giving logographs dual meanings, one direct and one implied.

Motivations

The primary motivation for using unique slang is to ease communication. However, while these shortcuts save time for the writer, they take up to two times as long for the reader to understand, according to a study by the University of Tasmania. On the other hand, similar to the use of slang in traditional face-to-face speech or written language, slang on the Internet is often a way of indicating group membership.

Views on Internet slang

Internet slang, especially in the English language community, has sparked continuing debate on how the utilization (of slang on the Internet) impacts dialectal use outside of technology. Despite no direct causal relationship between digital communication and greater trends in language having been proved scientifically, two opposing views on the impacts (and the value thereof) of Internet slang on non-digital communication have developed concurrently.

In general, Prescriptivists believe the use of slang terms negatively influence the future of language and lead to the degradation of a person's range of vocabulary and communicative capabilities. Some, even broadly attribute declines in standard formal English to the growing use of digital communication. A 2003 news article seemed to vindicate the Prescriptivists' perspective; the report analyzed a Scottish teenager's essay, which went viral due to being riddled with SMS abbreviations and acronyms.

Descriptivists argue that Internet language permits greater freedom. Instead of being restricted by semantic tradition, the use of slang allows the user to reflect individual tastes and heightens self-expression. They also suggest that slang stems from a lack of motivation to monitor speech online, rather than it being an intentional flouting of conventions. English users, in particular, have an extensive tradition of etiquette guides, instead of traditional prescriptive treatises, that offer pointers on linguistic appropriateness. Using and spreading Internet slang also adds onto the cultural currency of a language, enabling users to identify with ethnic groups and communities.

In scholarly research, attention has, for example, been drawn to the effect of the use of Internet slang in ethnography, and more importantly to how conversational relationships online change structurally because slang is used.

Around the world

Chinese seal carving work. The character is a combination of three characters, which is done by Chinese netizen. This is a satire of Chinese Internet censorship. See Grass Mud Horse.

The Internet has helped people from all over the world connect to one another, enabling "global" relationships to be formed. As such, slang terms used must be easily recognizable across national borders because of the multitude of non-English users of the Internet. In fact, as of May 31, 2011, only approximately 27% of the global online population comprised of English speakers.

Different cultures tend to have different motivations behind their choice of slang, besides the difference in language used. For example, in China, because of the tough Internet regulations imposed, users tend to use particular slang to discuss sensitive issues, which would be government censored otherwise. These include using symbols to separate the characters of a word to avoid detection from manual or automated text pattern scanning, and the use of punning and homonyms. An outstanding example is the use of the term river crab to denote censorship. River crab (hexie) is pronounced the same as "harmony"—the official term used to justify political discipline and censorship. As such Chinese netizens reappropriate the official terms in a sarcastic way.

Every country's diverse language background and value system cause differences in internet language rules and motivations. However, the continuing impacts of digital communication and slang have yet to be comparatively studied between countries.