The evolution of words, from Oxford language to cyber-slang

English Professor Albert P Rayan says words have, over time and with the boom of the internet, evolved and changed to carry completely alternate, modern meanings along with the original versions
Netspeak or cyber-slang is what is trending; the language used by most cyber-users
Netspeak or cyber-slang is what is trending; the language used by most cyber-users

An elderly person asked me what the word ‘basic’ in the sentence ‘She is a damn basic b***h and you can’t expect her to be innovative.’ meant. I asked him whether he was active on social media or had been part of any online group. His response was ‘No’. It was obvious that he did not know the meaning of the word. The slang term ‘basic’ is used by internet users to describe someone who dresses, talks and behaves like most people and can be predicted easily.

The person who is basic lacks original thinking. Yes, certain words have different meanings in the internet era. Let’s take the word ‘daddy’. We all know the original meaning of the word. Now the word has other meanings too: i) a partner who is very affectionate and takes care of the person, and ii) a person who has great influence over someone and who is deeply adored.

Those who are active on social media are familiar with cyber-slang, which is also called internet slang, netspeak or chatspeak. It is a typical language typically used by net users. It is good for those who are not members of any online community to know the meaning of some cyber-slang as they need to understand the language of the youth.

What is the meaning of ‘sealioning’?

The term ‘sealioning’ also spelt ‘sea lioning’ and ‘sea-lioning’, refers to the habit of internet trolls who always deliberately question the authenticity of a particular post and incessantly demand evidence or ask repeated questions.The purpose of those who engage in sealioning is not to seek clarification or explanation, but to verbally attack the person who posted it. Those who have the behaviour of ‘sealioning’ are not interested in any serious debate.

The term originates from a comic strip. According to urbandictionary.com, those who engage in sealioning attempt to harass or waste the time of the other party in the discussion, and do not intend to truly entertain their point of view. The moment I realised that he had started sealioning me, I decided not to respond to him. 

In this connection, I would like to clarify whether the term ‘troller’ can be used in the place of ‘troll’. A troll is a person who starts quarrels on the internet and enjoys upsetting people by posting inflammatory messages in an online community and provokes readers. It is incorrect to use the term ‘troller’ though many use the word. ‘Cooker’ cannot be used to refer to a cook.

What does the expression ‘Don’t feed the trolls’ mean? When we advise someone not to interact with someone who takes pleasure in trolling, we say ‘Don’t feed the trolls’. ‘Troll’ can be used as a noun and as a verb. Here are examples:  

Trolls hang out on online forums.

Donald Trump trolls women’s march with a predictably selfish tweet (www.glamour.com)

What does ‘lurker’ refer to?

A lurker is a person who visits an online forum or website, but does not leave any comment. The person is just an observer and not a participant. When it is used offline, the word means to hide just out of sight.

It is said that over 90% of those who use social media internet are online lurkers.

One of my students said that his hobby is online lurking.

(Albert P Rayan is an ELT resource person and a Professor of English)

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