Teens are abandoning emojis for abbreviated text and wordplay

It was once considered the universal* language of the digital age.

But teens are ditching emojis for new-age abbreviations*, in a welcome return to the art of wordplay*.

Terms like “LOL” (laugh out loud), “BRB” (be right back), and “OMG” (oh my god) have been part of internet language for years.

But today’s Gen Z-ers are bringing in a fresh wave of abbreviations such as “ILYSM” (I love you so much), “FTW” (for the win), and “OFC” (of course).

Lifelong Literacy clinical director Lyn Stone said the shift to abbreviations is driven not only by a desire to be faster, but to “show more than just an emotion” when communicating.

“Emojis have been expanded slightly to also replace words, which is handy when you have character limits. But either way, they’re fairly one-dimensional* and constrained*,” Ms Stone said.

“Abbreviated words – and abbreviated phrases like ‘BTW’ and ‘IMHO’ – have slightly more depth to them and can communicate abstract* concepts* beyond simple objects, actions or feelings.”

We Are Social chief executive officer Suzie Shaw said they’ve seen a significant rise in teens using acronyms* as part of their text language, which has been highly influenced by TikTok.

“In contrast to emojis, abbreviations can be more efficient in expressing whole sentences and have very specific and widely understood meaning compared to emojis, which risk being misinterpreted*,” Ms Shaw said.

“For example, while Boomers* and Millennials* use the thumbs-up emoji as a sign of encouragement or approval, Gen Z often uses it as a sarcastic* or passive-aggressive* ‘good job’ on something you messed up.”

“Acronyms are becoming more and more obscure*, such as “IJBOL” (I just burst out laughing) or ‘NGMI’ (not gonna make it),” Ms Shaw said.

“So popular are some of the abbreviations that they’ve transcended* text into spoken word. Although, they’re not necessarily understood by those older, including parents of teens.”

For Zac Nowytarger, 12, he said most of his friends have ditched the emojis — and even say it’s time for them to go.

“Emojis have gotten older and even though abbreviated words don’t show much emotion in a text, emojis aren’t really used so there’s no point keeping them around,” he said.

“It’s quicker to write abbreviated words rather than having to spend more time writing the full words, even if it’s a couple of letters shorter.”

But it seems whole words still have plenty of form, with over 20,000 kids in Years 3-8 already registered in The Prime Minister’s Spelling Bee in its opening week.

Teachers can register students in the school round until August 18 at spelling-bee.com.au

COMMON ABBREVIATIONS

• NVM: Never mind
• TBH: To be honest
• OMG: Oh my god
• BC: Because
• IDK: I don’t know
• GTG: Got to go
• IDM: I don’t mind
• HMU: Hit me up
• LOL: Laugh out loud
• BTW: By the way
• IMHO: In my honest opinion
• RN: Right now
• FTW: For the win
• LMK: Let me know
• ILYSM: I love you so much
• ILY: I love you
• OFC: Of course
• PERF: Perfect
• FAM: Family

POLL

GLOSSARY

• universal: existing everywhere or involving everyone
• abbreviations: a shortened form of a written word or phrase
• wordplay: the clever, playful, witty use of words
• one-dimensional: limited, narrow, having a single dominant aspect
• constrained: limited in freedom
• abstract: not referring to material things or real, specific examples
• concepts: ideas, thoughts, theory, notion
• acronym: an abbreviation consisting of the first letters of each word in the name of something, pronounced as a word
• misinterpreted: misunderstood, misconceived forming an incorrect understanding of something
• Boomers: refers to those born in the two decades after World War II between 1946 to 1964
• Millennials: those born between 1981 and 1996
• sarcastic: using comments that clearly mean the opposite of what you say
• passive-aggressive: indirectly expressing negative or hostile feelings
• obscure: unclear, difficult to see and understand
• transcended: went further, rose beyond, moved past

EXTRA READING

PM’s bold a-m-b-i-t-i-o-n-s for Bee

How social media can help your storytelling

Fears for spelling in the digital age

QUICK QUIZ

1. What is driving the shift to abbreviations, according to Lyn Stone?
2. What is the difference between how older generations and Genx Z use the thumbs up emoji?
3. Which social media platform has influenced the rising use of acronyms?
4. What does ILYSM stand for?
5. What reasons does Zac Nowytarger give for why he and his friends have ditched emojis?

LISTEN TO THIS STORY

CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Emojis versus abbreviations
Emojis have been a fun and useful addition to text message language, but are proving less popular with today’s young people. Part of the reason is that they can be misinterpreted and don’t show enough emotion.

Work with a partner to design an emoji for the abbreviations listed in the Kids News article.

Time: allow 25 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Visual Arts, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

2. Extension
Are teens right … is it too hard to convey meaning in one emoji or too easy for it to be misinterpreted?

Give an example of an emoji you’ve used or read that has been read the wrong way, or could be read the wrong way.

Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking

VCOP ACTIVITY
Invent your own abbreviation!
Read the article about the shift to abbreviations and acronyms among Gen Z-ers.

Now, it’s your turn to get creative and invent your own abbreviations!

You can do this activity on your own or with a friend if you like.

Think of some commonly used words or phrases (e.g., “happy,” “thank you,” “see you later,” etc.).

For each word or phrase, come up with a new abbreviation.

Be playful and imaginative with your abbreviations. You can use the first letters of the words or combine letters that represent the meaning.

Write down your list of invented abbreviations on a piece of paper or in a notebook.

Along with each abbreviation, write down the full meaning of the word or phrase it represents.

Once you’ve completed your list, take a moment to read through them and see how creative you’ve been!

If you like, draw emojis or symbols next to your abbreviations to give them an artistic touch.

Now, it’s time to share your inventions! You can show them to your family members or friends and see if they can guess the meanings of your abbreviations based on the letters you used.

Remember, this is all about having fun and being creative with words. Enjoy the process of coming up with your own unique abbreviations!

Have fun inventing and playing with words!