Figure 1: a Tumblr post in which the user has made a play on the lyrics from the “Gaston” song from “Beauty and the Beast”. The slang “yeet” is used, and “this bitch empty” is a reference to a popular video. Image via Reddit.
I’d like to investigate the paradigm shifts involving the influence of the internet and social media on the evolution of colloqiualisms in American youth. From where did “yeet” and “snatching wigs” originate? How and why are they popular? Did they have equivalents ten, twenty, thirty years ago? When did “gag me with a spoon” go out of style, and why? These are the questions I will aim to answer.
Figure 2: this meme is actually a very insightful articulation of the common practice of adding “lol” to the end of typed sentences (no one translates”lol” to “laugh out loud” any more; it has become its own entity that merely, when attached to a sentence, connotates “I am saying this in good humor”). Image via Meme.
Slang has always been an intrinsic component of human language––I will attempt to examine its evolution over a specific chronological range (the last fifty years) limited to a single country (the U.S.) and age demographic (10-20 year olds or so). It is also necessary to examine the platforms where such slang is primarily popularized: social media, and the internet in general; I will look into how the formatting of sites like Twitter, Tumblr, and Reddit facilitate the creation and spreading of these colloquialisms.
I personally believe that the study of language is of paramount importance. Language influences how we interact with each other, how we learn, and how we communicate our needs, desires, opinions. To understand and manipulate the nuances of language and speech is one of the great keys to life––it can determine landing a job, contracting a house, or fostering a relationship. This is why I think that linguistic development over the years and the practice of implementing that knowledge when communicating in the modern day warrants exploration.
Here, you can view a USA Today interview with some “hip” youth who scratch the surface of the complex, immense enigma that is modern linguistic nuance.
I think you found the perfect fit. It is something that I would have never of thought of even though it is so present and common. The reasoning behind these words aren’t really public ally known so it will be captivating to hear your insight and research.
You have a very interesting and fun topic. I’m curious about hearing more about the slang of the past and what current slang I might be missing out on. The meme in figure 2 was pretty funny. It’s interesting how lol doesn’t mean laugh out loud anymore. Even thinking about equating lol with a strong sense of laughing out loud feels so foreign.