It has been 10 years since Facebook was launched online. Back then, it only accepted students from Harvard University before spreading its membership throughout the Ivy League before making it available to anyone over 13. Throughout those years, we have witnessed how this popular social networking service has redefined the way we talk.
Facebook has introduced numerous words and phrases to describe its features, eventually integrating into modern-day language whether it is English, Spanish, Portuguese, any one that has an active Facebook membership.
CNN has compiled 9 most memorable Facebook words, wherein common terms were refitted with new meanings. Some may have been forgotten, while others are still being used, even recognized by dictionaries as part of the 21st century vocabulary.
Friend – “Charlie friended Jenny on Facebook. They must be dating.” Before Facebook, the word “friend” was never used as a verb. Nowadays, we ask new acquaintances to have their names spelled out so you could friend them on Facebook. A friend on Facebook is not necessarily someone you drink beer with on weekends. It could be a rarely seen co-worker, a vaguely remembered classmate from middle school, or a complete stranger who is reliable in sending you tickets for Candy Crush Saga.
Unfriend – “Did Siobhan just unfriend me?” With friending a person, there is a possibility that your online relationship could go south. You may have fed up with your aunt’s political rants or your friend from high school who kept on sharing posts that end with “1 LIKE = 1 PRAYER”. The solution is easy: unfriend them. Facebook’s “unfriend” option has created a quick and definitive way to end a friendship or acquaintance, when blocking or just minimizing their posts from your news feed is not enough. The New Oxford English Dictionary even awarded “unfriend” with a Word of the Year title for 2009.
Status update – “I’m checking his status updates to see if we have the same personality.” Facebook’s status update box is prominent on the site, encouraging you to post updates about yourself, whether you are moving house or just thinking about that taco you should have ordered. The site originally asked members, “What are you doing right now,” resulting to a lot of mundane stories like “Sally is eating toast.” That question has since been changed in 2009 with, “What’s on your mind?”
Like – “I cannot believe my #throwbackthursday photo only got three Likes.” The first Like button appeared in 2009, tapping on it if you appreciate the status updates of your Facebook friends. This Facebook word quickly became what the social networking site is known for, as you click the Like button to endorse your friends’ jokes, your acquaintance’s photos of her baby. This practice soon spread to other social media services like Instagram’s heart button and Twitter’s favorite. Over the years, Like became a noun as users (and companies) collect Likes as a measure of engagement and popularity.
Poke – “I got a poke from my uncle. Awkward.” This oddball feature has been part of Facebook’s early days. Even the site’s founder Mark Zuckerberg once describe the Poke as “a feature without any specific purpose”. But Facebook users figured out its usage, thinking it is a stalker tool or a flirty invitation for a real-world hook-up. As a Facebook word, Poke is rarely used because of the creepy factor it is associated with. The poke function remains available on Facebook, even though not a lot of users are tapping it.
Share – “George Takei shared a really funny meme this morning.” Sharing is a virtue, and when Facebook introduced the Share button, it took on a new meaning. Taking inspiration from Tumblr’s reblog and Twitter’s retweet, the Facebook share feature enables users to publish a friend’s post on their own wall, “sharing” it to other friends (or in the public, depending on your settings). We share links from news websites, photos of your friend’s football game, and even a viral video.
Wall – “I tried to reply on all of my birthday greetings posted on my wall.” Whenever you add a new friend on Facebook, the site encourages you to “write on their wall”. And although the Wall has been replaced with the current Timeline format, the Facebook word “Wall” never disappeared.
It’s complicated – How to describe an ambiguous status of your romantic relationship? “It’s complicated!” It slides between “single” and “married”, and can actually be more exciting than either of the two. The phrase may have its roots on a long-forgotten social networking site Friendster (which still exists, by the way), it became a common expression courtesy of Facebook.
Tag – “Dennis kept tagging me on our old photos and I don’t like it because I looked hideous back then.” What was once a child’s game became a way to get people notice your posts or embarrass them with their unflattering photos from years passed. This Facebook word is sometimes refered to as the new Poke.
Source: CNN
Image source: Twin Design / Shutterstock.com
