Social media has now become an inevitable part of human life. People who have internet access are more likely to use one or more social media platforms. The main reason why they use this is for connectivity and infotainment. In the last two decades, several social media platforms have come into existence and improved dramatically over time.
With the increasing global acceptance of these social media platforms, many things started changing. The two main changes can be considered as the style of language as well as the style of marketing. At present, people mainly use several acronyms and abbreviations while they chat. Furthermore, there are some important short forms of terms that social media marketers use.
Here is a detailed list of some popular acronyms and abbreviations that people use on social media. As you gain the knowledge of the following, both chatting and social media marketing will become much easier for you.
Acronyms and Abbreviations for Social Media Communication
In this part, you can check out the social media acronyms that are mainly used in communication. Most of the influencers and common people use these short forms.
1. AMA
AMA is the acronym for the term ‘Ask Me Anything.’ Influencers and experts mainly use it on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and Quora. You can use this while conversing informally with someone if you have a proper grip on any specific topic on which the conversation is going on.
2. FBF
Most netizens present on social media sites have the tendency to share posts and images from the past. The full form of FBF is ‘Flashback Fridays’, which has now become a trend on Facebook, the leading social media platform.
The abbreviation FBF is widely used as most people share posts from the past mainly on Fridays. Another reason why it gained popularity is due to its rhythm. As a part of a trend, you can mostly see a hashtag added to this abbreviation.
3. Eli5
If you are a regular Reddit user, you might have come across the abbreviation Eli5. It is a term used mostly by the audience for an influencer. The full form of Eli5 is ‘Explain it Like I am 5’. This clearly means that you want to know all the details about a particular matter from the scratch.
4. HT
HT is a lesser-known acronym that regular social media users apply for acknowledgment purposes. It is the short form for the word ‘Hat Tip’. It is similar to the gesture of doing hats off to someone.
It is mostly used by social media influencers for thanking someone after publishing their works. It is often used as a replacement for the other terms like ‘cc’ and via.
5. FOMO
FOMO is an acronym that has probably become a word in itself these days. It is the short form for a state of mind where the person starts feeling a ‘Fear Of Missing Out.’ You can use FOMO in a situation where you are sure about sticking to but are not able to.
It is another acronym that is not used in sentences much rather added as a hashtag along with the post. You can also use FOMO to address something (say: an event) on a post that you never want to miss.
6. TBH
TBH is yet another acronym used for regular communication on all leading social networking sites. It is used in a sentence for the phrase ‘To Be Honest’. You can use this acronym while writing about your opinion on a specific matter.
Moreover, while having informal communication, you can use TBH with a sarcastic sentence. However, you would need to use proper emoticons along with it.
7. TL;DR
TL;DR is an abbreviation not much used on social media sites. However, you might come across it in case you have written or shared a long post. TL stands for the term ‘Too Long’ and DR for ‘Didn’t Read.’
The tone of this abbreviation is considered indecent by most netizens and is not used much. However, you can expect your friends or near ones using this on your long posts.
8. WBU
If you want to ask a person about his/her present condition on a social media chat, you can use WBU. It is the short form of ‘What About You?’ It will even be easier for you to ask someone’s opinion by adding a WBU with an assertive sentence.
Acronyms and Abbreviations for Social Media Marketing
Here are some acronyms and abbreviations for social media marketing. If you are a social media marketer or planning to start on with it, you can use the following acronyms and abbreviations while writing a post or addressing the audience.
1. API
The full form of API is the ‘Application Programming Interface’. It is one of the basic technical terms related to the working of the applications and social networking sites. As a marketer, you can schedule your posts using one of the APIs. These are nothing but the specifics of the applications and software that run on a phone or the mobile.
2. B2B and B2C
All social media marketers need to use the term B2B and B2C. Basically, both of these are abbreviations of terms, ‘Business-to-Business’ and ‘Business-to-Consumers’. You can make people understand the type of a business with the help of either of the two terms.
In the case of B2C, the business directly deals with the consumers whereas, in the case of B2B, it deals with another business. When a person reads about a business on the social media platform, he can understand if the service has any relevance just by putting an eye over the terms.
3. SaaS
The full form of SaaS is ‘Software as a Service’ and it is one of the leading services that is marketed on top-notch social media platforms. Often people have no idea regarding this term. If you are a social media marketer who is concerned about SaaS, there are high chances you are marketing for a B2B organization.
4. SEO
When it comes to technical acronyms used on social networking sites, SEO is the most popular one used by most people. It is the short form for ‘Search Engine Optimization’. You can see a lot of marketers posting about B2B or B2C organizations that need SEO experts.
Often, a hashtag accompanies this acronym. For example, many business organizations publish job-related posts with the SEO hashtag as they need SEO experts for a particular organization. In the present day, the SEO expert job is sought after by many youngsters globally.
5. SoLoMo
SoLoMo is an uncommon abbreviation related to business; thus, is used more in the case of marketing rather than regular chats. It deals with the search results, which are mobile-centric as well as local.
If you see this abbreviation on a post, check for the web search attached to it. Always consider these web search results to be place-centric. In the case of the SoLoMo results, the search engine always uses the GPS technology of a mobile gadget.
6. UI and UX
The acronyms UI and UX stand for ‘User Interface’ and ‘User Experience’ respectively. UI and UX are related to application and software designing mainly. Both these terms are used by social media marketers to publish information for a business organization or an application or software.
Final Words
Social media acronyms and abbreviations are mainly user-generated, and they can change with time. New acronyms and abbreviations can come in the future as the communication symbols used by most netizens change with time. If you are a regular social media user, the best you can do is check the full form whenever you see a new acronym or abbreviation.
Author Bio:
Bhavik Soni is a creative writer at Auto Monkey. He provides an original analysis of the latest happenings in the social media industry. Connect with latest social media trends and news plus tips on Twitter, Facebook and other social tools on the web.