The ultimate glossary of 120+ social media acronyms and abbreviations

Social media language evolves at the speed of light. What was trending last year (remember “Cheugy”?) is already ancient history, replaced by new terms like “Mewing” or “Brainrot.”

For social media managers, staying current isn’t just about trying to look cool—it’s about clarity, brevity and connecting with audiences authentically. Whether you are deciphering a report on ROI or trying to understand a Gen Z comment on TikTok, mastering social media acronyms is essential for executing a successful social media marketing strategy.

This guide covers everything you need to know, from professional marketing metrics to the latest viral slang, categorized for easy reference.

Why you need to know social media acronyms

Before we dive into the definitions, here is why fluency in social media abbreviations matters for your career:

• Efficiency: On platforms like X (formerly Twitter), character counts are currency. Acronyms speed up internal communication and allow you to say more with less.
• Community connection: Using the right slang—in the right context—signals that your brand is “in the know” and culturally relevant.
• Professionalism: While slang is fun, knowing the difference between a KPI (Key Performance Indicator) and an API (Application Programming Interface) is vital for reporting, strategy and proving your value to stakeholders.

Network-specific acronyms

Every platform has its own dialect. These social media abbreviations are specific to the infrastructure and culture of major networks.

Platform Shorthand

Before diving into features, knowing how to abbreviate the networks themselves is step one.

Acronym	Definition	Context
FB	Facebook	Common in Groups and community management.
IG	Instagram	Universal shorthand.
LI	LinkedIn	Professional shorthand.
SC	Snapchat	Used in messaging and creator spaces.
TT	TikTok	Used in creator communities and reporting.
WA	WhatsApp	Common in global markets and customer care.
X	X (Twitter)	Many still use “TW” colloquially.
YT	YouTube	Widely used among creators.

Twitter (X)

Despite the rebrand to X, legacy terminology remains prevalent alongside new features.

Acronym	Definition	Context
DFT	Don’t Feed the Trolls	A warning not to engage with users posting inflammatory comments just to get a reaction
DM	Direct Message	Private conversations between users. Essential for customer care.
HT	Hat Tip	Acknowledging the original source of an idea or content.
MT	Modified Tweet	Indicates a retweet (or repost) that has been altered for brevity.
RT	Retweet	Sharing another user’s post to your timeline.
Ratioed	(Not an acronym)	When a post gets more replies (usually negative) than likes.
Subtweet	(Not an acronym)	Criticizing someone without tagging them directly (@ing them).
Thread	(Not an acronym)	A series of connected posts used to bypass character limits.

Instagram and TikTok

Visual platforms drive the majority of modern social media slang.

Acronym	Definition	Context
DC	Dance Credits	Used on TikTok to credit the choreographer of a viral dance.
FYP	For You Page	The main algorithmic feed on TikTok. Getting on the FYP is the goal for virality.
GRWM	Get Ready With Me	A video format showing the creator preparing for an event.
HMB	Hit My Bio	Used to direct users to the link in your bio (e.g., “HMB for the discount code.”
Ib	Inspired by	Used in captions to credit the original creator of a trend.
Link In Bio	(Not an acronym; a CTA)	Workaround for platforms that don’t allow links in captions.
OOTD	Outfit of the Day	Showcasing fashion choices.
POV	Point of View	A content format where the viewer is placed in a specific scenario.
UGC	User-Generated Content	Content created by fans/customers rather than the brand.

Facebook

While Facebook is more “mainstream,” it still relies on specific shorthand in Groups and Marketplace.

Acronym	Definition	Context
Bump	Bring Up My Post	Commenting on a post to move it back to the top of a Group feed. This is a legacy behavior. Algorithms replace the need for manual bumping, since commenting on a post can move it up naturally.
ISO	In Search Of	Highly common in Facebook Marketplace and Buy/Sell/Trade groups.
L4L	Like for Like	A common tag used to request engagement (often considered spammy by modern standards).
PM	Private Message	While “DM” is used on X/IG, Facebook users traditionally refer to Messenger chats as “PMs.”

LinkedIn

The professional network uses acronyms centered around networking status and job hunting.

Acronym	Definition	Context
1st / 2nd / 3rd	Degree of Connection	Indicates how close you are to another user (1st is direct, 2nd is a friend of a friend).
CB	Connection Back	A request for a mutual connection.
EBITDA	Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization	A finance metric frequently discussed in B2B LinkedIn content.
LION	LinkedIn Open Networker	A user who accepts all connection requests, regardless of whether they know the person.

YouTube

YouTube terminology is heavily focused on video metrics and creator economy terms.

Acronym	Definition	Context
APV	Average Percentage Viewed	Similar to CR, this determines how likely YouTube is to recommend your video.
CC	Closed Captions	Subtitles for accessibility and sound-off viewing.
CR	Completion Rate	The percentage of the video watched. A vital metric for the YouTube algorithm.
LS	Livestream	Broadcasting live video to an audience.
Sub	Subscriber	A user who follows your channel.
VOD	Video On Demand	Refers to uploaded video content (as opposed to Live streams).
YT	YouTube	The platform itself.

Reddit and forums

With the rise of community-driven platforms, knowing Reddit slang is increasingly important.

Acronym	Definition	Context
AITA	Am I The A**hole?	A popular format for asking community judgment on a personal conflict.
AMA	Ask Me Anything	A Q&A format popular on Reddit and IG Stories.
ELI5	Explain Like I’m 5	Often used in forums like Reddit when people are requesting (or providing) a very simple explanation of a complex topic.
OP	Original Poster	The person who started the thread or discussions.
TIL	Today I Learned	Used when sharing a new, interesting fact.
TL;DR	Too Long; Didn’t Read	A summary provided at the start or end of a long post.

Essential business and marketing acronyms and terms

These “money terms” are essential for demonstrating the business impact of your social media efforts, frequently appearing in reports, paid media strategies, and stakeholder meetings. The following acronyms are also common in business and marketing communications and are valuable in social media contexts, especially within relevant niches.

Performance metrics & strategy

Use these terms when reporting on campaign success or optimizing your budget.

Acronym	Definition	Context
CPA	Cost Per Acquisition	The aggregate cost to acquire one paying customer or lead.
CPM	Cost Per Mille (Thousand)	The cost of 1,000 advertisement impressions. Crucial for measuring brand awareness campaigns where visibility matters more than clicks.
CPC	Cost Per Click	The actual price you pay for each click in a paid marketing campaign. Vital for performance budgeting.
CTR	Click-Through Rate	The percentage of people who saw your post and clicked on it. A high CTR indicates highly relevant content.
CR	Conversion Rate	The percentage of users who take a desired action (purchasing, downloading, subscribing) after clicking.
CRO	Conversion Rate Optimization	The systematic process of increasing the percentage of visitors who take a desired action (e.g., A/B testing landing pages).
CTA	Call to Action	The instruction you give your audience to provoke an immediate response (e.g., “Sign Up Now,” “Link in Bio”).
EMV	Earned Media Value	The monetary value of organic mentions and engagement.
KPI	Key Performance Indicator	A specific, quantifiable metric used to track progress toward a business goal (e.g., “Our KPI for Q1 is 10k new followers”).
PPC	Pay-Per-Click	A model of digital marketing in which advertisers pay a fee each time one of their ads is clicked.
ROI	Return on Investment	The ultimate measure of success/profitability. Formula: (Net Profit / Total Cost) x 100.
SOSEO	Social Search Engine Optimization	The practice of optimizing social content (captions, alt text, file names) so it ranks in search results on platforms like TikTok and Google.
UV / PV	Unique Views / Page View	The number of distinct individuals who viewed your content. Unlike Page Views (which counts total views), UV tells you exactly how many people you’ve reached.

Business models & roles

These terms define who you are selling to and who is doing the selling.

Acronym	Definition	Context
B2B	Business to Business	Companies that sell to other companies (e.g., Sprout Social, Salesforce). Marketing here is often more educational and logical.
B2C	Business to Consumer	Companies that sell directly to individuals (e.g., Wendy’s, Nike). Marketing here is often more emotional and trend-driven.
SMB	Small and Midsize Business	Businesses with limited personnel and resources compared to Enterprise organizations.
CMGR	Community Manager	The pro responsible for advocating for the brand on social networks and creating a social persona. Not to be confused with a social media manager.
SMM	Social Media Marketing	The holistic practice of using social networks to achieve marketing goals.
SMO	Social Media Optimization	The process of optimizing your website and profiles to encourage sharing (e.g., adding social share buttons to a blog).
SMP	Social Media Platform	The networks themselves (e.g., Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok).
SRP	Social Relationship Platform	A centralized software (like Sprout Social) used to publish, monitor, and analyze content across multiple SMPs.
SoLoMo	Social, Local, Mobile	The convergence of these three platforms in marketing strategy (e.g., a mobile check-in on Facebook at a local coffee shop).
TOS	Terms of Service	The legal rules users must agree to in order to use a platform. Violating TOS can result in account suspension.

Draft, approve and publish messages with Sprout Social’s collaborative workflow

Take the confusion out of figuring out what types of acronyms, hashtags and trends suit your brand’s voice.

You can empower your team to be creative and draft in Sprout Social’s compose window, while setting up an approval flow so every message gets a final review.

Sprout Social makes it easy for teams of any size to collaborate in one intuitive platform. Start your free trial today to try out these features and more.

Technical terms for social pros

You don’t need to be a developer, but you do need to speak the language of your product and IT teams. Understanding these terms helps you advocate for the tools you need (like Sprout) and understand how your content is delivered.

Acronym	Definition	Context
API	Application Programming Interface	The “bridge” that allows two applications to talk to each other. For example, Sprout Social uses the Twitter API to pull your messages into the Smart Inbox.
CX	Customer Experience	Social is often the front line of CX. It refers to the holistic impression a customer has of your brand, including how you handle complaints in DMs.
ESP	Email Service Provider	The software used to manage email marketing lists (e.g., Mailchimp).
GA4	Google Analytics 4	The current standard for web analytics. Social managers use this to track traffic sources from social campaigns.
RSS	Really Simple Syndication	A web feed format used to publish frequently updated works—such as blog entries or news headlines—in a standardized format.
SaaS	Software as a Service	Software licensed on a subscription basis and hosted in the cloud (e.g., Sprout Social, Salesforce, Slack).
SEM	Search Engine Marketing	The practice of increasing visibility on search engines through paid ads (PPC).
SEO	Search Engine Optimization	The practice of increasing traffic through organic search engine results.
SOV	Share of Voice	A measure of the market your brand owns compared to your competitors. SOV = (Brand Mentions / Total Market Mentions) x 100
UI	User Interface	The visual elements of a digital product (buttons, screens, icons). UI is what you see; UX is how it works.
UTM	Urchin Tracking Module	Snippets of code added to the end of a URL to track the source, medium, and campaign name of incoming traffic. Pro tip: Sprout’s URL shortener automatically adds UTMs so you can track which specific post drove a sale.
UX	User Experience	How a person feels when interacting with a system. Good UX on your landing pages is vital for social conversion.

Conversational and texting abbreviations and slang

These are the “evergreen” social media acronyms. They have been around since the days of AOL Instant Messenger and are widely understood across generations (Millennials, Gen X and Boomers).

Engagement drivers & prompts

Use these to spark conversation in captions or shorten your copy.

Acronym	Definition	Context
AMA	Ask Me Anything	Popularized by Reddit; great for Q&A sessions on Instagram Stories or X.
BTS	Behind The Scenes	Shows the “making of” your content or a behind the scenes look at what your brand is doing.
DYK	Did You Know	Effective for introducing facts or stats.
FBF	Flashback Friday	Similar to TBT, but for Fridays.
FOMO	Fear Of Missing Out	Anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, often aroused by posts seen on a social media website.
FTFY	Fixed That For You	Used to correct a previous statement (often used sarcastically or humorously to “fix” someone else’s opinion).
FWIW	For What It’s Worth	Minimizes assertiveness in a statement.
ICYMI	In Case You Missed It	Perfect for resharing older content or weekly roundups.
IMO / IMHO	In My [Humble] Opinion	Softens a statement or critique.
IYKYK	If You Know You Know	Signals an inside joke or shared community context.
IRL	In Real Life	Distinguishes offline events from online.
MFW / TFW	My Face When / That Feeling When	Used to describe a specific reaction or emotion, usually paired with a relatable image, GIF or meme.
NSFW	Not Safe For Work	Warning: Content contains nudity, violence or strong language.
OTP	One True Pairing	Common in fandom culture. Refers to a user’s favorite couple (fictional or real) that they support.
SMH	Shaking My Head	Expresses disappointment.
TBH	To Be Honest	Often used to preface a confession or unpopular opinion.
TMI	Too Much Information	Used when someone shares details that are too personal, graphic or awkward for a public setting.
TBT	Throwback Thursday	Posting nostalgic content on Thursdays.
TGIF	Thank God It’s Friday	A universal celebration of the weekend, often used to boost Friday engagement.
WBW	Way Back Wednesday	A mid-week alternative to Throwback Thursday (TBT) for sharing nostalgic photos.
W / L	Win / Loss	Comment in comments, e.g., Common Sprout W.

Gen Z and viral social slang

Internet culture moves fast.

Gone are the days of “YOLO,” “On Fleek” and “Cray.” If you use those today, you risk sounding out of touch.

Below are terms trending in 2025—largely driven by TikTok. Brands should use these cautiously. If it doesn’t align with your voice, skip it.

Acronym/Slang	Definition	Context
Ate	Did perfectly	“She ate that look.” (Often followed by “and left no crumbs”).
Beige Flag	Odd trait	Not a red flag (bad) or green flag (good), just a weird/boring quirk.
Bet	Yes or Agreed	A confirmation. “Want to grab lunch?” “Bet.”
Cap / No Cap	Lie / No Lie	No cap means “For real.” It’s used to emphasize honesty. (e.g., “This burger is the best, no cap.”) However, “that’s cap” means that is a lie.
Delulu	Delusional	Used positively or ironically. “Staying delulu is the solulu (solution)” implies optimism in the face of impossible odds.
Ick	Turn-off	A sudden feeling of repulsion toward someone you were previously attracted to.
Mewing	Jawline posture	A viral trend about tongue posture, often used ironically to signal “I can’t talk, I’m looksmaxxing.”
Mid	Mediocre	Labeling something average or below expectations. “The movie was mid.”
NPC	Non-Playable Character	Someone who acts repetitively or lacks independent thought, like a background video game character.
Rizz	Charisma	The ability to charm or flirt. (e.g., “They have unspoken rizz.”)
Sus	Suspicious	Originated from the game Among Us. Something that seems shady or untrustworthy.
Simp	(Verb/Noun)	Someone who does way too much for a person they like.
Vibe Check	Assessing the energy/mood	A quick evaluation of someone’s mood or the general atmosphere of a situation. (e.g., “Passed the vibe check.”)

Tone check: Brands should use these cautiously. Jumping on a slang trend late (or using it incorrectly) is a fast track to being labeled “cringe.” When in doubt, stick to your authentic brand voice.

Deprecated or risky slang to avoid

To maintain professionalism, skip slang that reads dated or “cringe.”

• YOLO: You Only Live Once
• On Fleek: Perfect
• Cray: Crazy
• Lit: Exciting (borderline outdated)

How social media acronyms vary by generation

Different generations use distinct social media languages that impact your engagement rates.

Key generational differences in social media acronyms:

• Gen Z: Creates new slang rapidly on TikTok and Instagram, favors visual communication and evolving terminology
• Millennials: Uses established internet acronyms like LOL, FOMO and platform-specific terms
• Gen X: Prefers formal abbreviations and business acronyms on professional platforms
• Boomers: Sticks to basic acronyms and traditional communication styles

Data from our 2025 Sprout Social Index™ shows 93% of consumers agree it’s important for brands to keep up with online culture. Gen Z is most likely to have Instagram (89%), YouTube (84%) and TikTok (82%) profiles, while older generations lean toward Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Generation	Primary Platforms	Preferred Acronym Style	Communication Approach
Gen Z	TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat	Evolving slang, emoji-heavy	Authentic, visual
Millennials	Instagram, Facebook, Twitter	Established internet language (LOL, FOMO)	Casual but clear
Gen X	Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter	Professional abbreviations	Direct, informative
Boomers	Facebook, email	Basic, universal acronyms	Formal, explanatory

Our data also shows that 51% of global social media users plan to spend more time on community-driven platforms like Reddit over the next six months, where each community develops its own linguistic identity. We found that 94% of consumers affirm that most brands’ social content does a good job keeping up with online culture. But that success requires understanding how language evolves across age groups.

Best practices on using social media slang and acronyms

Knowing social media acronyms transforms your communication—but strategic implementation determines your success. Follow these practices to ensure they strengthen your brand voice:

• Maintain your brand voice: Regardless of how well you understand the lingo, use it only if it aligns with your brand voice. Successful brands maintain consistency between their established voice and social media language.
• Know when to use the right slang or acronym: Assess the situation. A customer coming to you with a complaint may not appreciate it if you asked them to “hit you up.”
• Don’t try too hard or overdo it: Forcing slang to stay relevant can backfire. If a sentence requires a decoder ring to understand, rewrite it. Clarity is paramount.
• Know what slang your audience is using. Don’t guess what is trending globally; identify the specific acronyms your unique audience uses in their posts and comments.

Using Sprout Social to track and understand acronym trends

Social media language evolves at lightning speed. Don’t guess what slang your audience is using—know for sure.

Sprout Social’s Social Listening tools monitor millions of conversations across social media platforms, empowering you to move beyond just defining acronyms and start using them strategically.

• Monitor keywords: Track specific acronyms to see if they are rising or falling in popularity.
• Analyze sentiment: Understand if a slang term is being used positively (brand affinity) or negatively (complaints).
• Audience segmentation: Discover which acronyms resonate with specific demographics and generations.
• Competitive insights: Reveal the language strategies driving results in your industry.

Additionally, Sprout’s Smart Inbox helps you decode incoming messages. Whether a customer sends a DM with “TMI” or comments “W” (Win) on your post, you can manage all cross-network communication from a single stream.

Turn definitions into strategy

Whether you are using technical acronyms to report to your boss or viral slang to bond with your community, understanding the lexicon of social media is non-negotiable for modern marketers.

But knowing the definitions is just the start. The power comes from applying that knowledge to your strategy.

Ready to streamline your social strategy? Start a free trial of Sprout Social today to listen, publish, and engage with your audience using the tools the pros use.

FAQs about Social Media Acronyms

Should my brand use trending slang and acronyms?

That depends entirely on your brand voice and audience. Using slang that doesn’t fit your brand’s identity feels inauthentic and damages trust.

Use social listening to understand your audience’s language. If it’s a natural fit, using their terms builds a genuine connection. If it’s not, you’re better off communicating clearly in your established voice.

How often do social media acronyms change?

Social media language evolves constantly. Core business and technical acronyms like B2B, ROI and SEO are stable. But conversational slang changes quickly and is often driven by trends on platforms like TikTok.

How do I know which acronyms are appropriate for my brand voice?

Use social listening to analyze the language your specific audience uses, then test different terms in your content and measure engagement to see what resonates. Sprout Social’s approval workflows ensure every message is reviewed for brand voice consistency before it goes live.

Do different generations use different social media acronyms?

Yes, Gen Z often creates and popularizes new slang on platforms like TikTok, while Millennials and other generations tend to use more established acronyms. A successful strategy adapts its language based on the platform and the specific audience segment you’re targeting.

How do I stay updated on new social media acronyms and trends?

Use social listening tools like Sprout Social to monitor keywords and conversations and identify emerging slang terms before your competitors do.