Internet slang
Slang used mainly on the internet.
Meaning
Internet slang means slang used mainly online. It carries an informal tone and marks community membership. Its users are forum readers, gamers, and social media posters.
Origin
Use dates from the PC communication era, reportedly in the 1980s to 1990s in Japan. Many terms have an unclear source. The Japanese form renders English Internet slang. Merriam-Webster admitted such words from the 2010s.
How it's used
People add it in boards, comments, and chats to joke or signal belonging. It functions as a noun phrase and does not inflect. Writers place it before a quoted term or after a sentence.
Example
That phrase is typical Internet slang from the boards.
Variants & related
Variants include net slang and net term. Related labels are BBS slang and SNS slang. General slang reused online and quotes from shows or games sit nearby.
Common misunderstandings
Outsiders mistake it for technical jargon, but it is social vocabulary. Another error is treating every online term as caused by technical limits, while many are ordinary slang or entertainment quotes.