Hi everyone! Welcome back to another episode of English in Minutes, where we help you improve your English skills, one topic at a time. I’m Michael, and today, we’re diving into a topic that almost everyone uses every day—social media!
Whether you scroll through Instagram, post updates on Twitter, or watch TikTok videos, social media has its own language. So, let’s explore some common words and phrases used online!
Engagement on Social Media
First, let’s talk about engagement—this means how people interact with your content. The more likes, comments, and shares you get, the higher your engagement.
For example, if you post a photo and a lot of people like it, comment on it, and share it, we say it’s going viral! That means it’s spreading quickly and getting a lot of attention.
Speaking of likes, have you ever heard someone say, “Smash that like button!”? This is a popular phrase used by YouTubers to encourage viewers to press the like button on their videos.
Another important word is share. If you find a funny meme or an interesting article, you might share it with your friends by posting it on your profile or sending it in a message.
Hashtags and Trends
Now, let’s talk about hashtags. A hashtag is a word or phrase with the # symbol in front, like #ThrowbackThursday or #MondayMotivation. Hashtags help people find posts about specific topics.
When a hashtag becomes really popular, we say it’s trending. For example, if everyone is talking about a new movie, you might see #NewMovieRelease trending on Twitter.
And if you want to stay updated on what’s happening in the world, you can follow different accounts or topics. The word follow means to subscribe to someone’s content so you can see their updates.
Different Types of Content
Let’s move on to different kinds of posts you might see.
- A post is anything you share on social media, like a photo, a video, or a status update.
- A story is a short video or photo that disappears after 24 hours, like on Instagram or Facebook.
- A reel is a short, entertaining video, usually with music, found on Instagram and Facebook.
And of course, comments allow people to write their thoughts under a post. If someone says something mean or negative, we call that a troll or trolling.
Social Media Slang
Finally, let’s look at some popular social media slang.
- DM (Direct Message) – A private message sent to someone. Example: “Send me a DM with the details!”
- FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) – The feeling of being left out when you see others having fun. Example: “I have FOMO seeing everyone at the party!”
- Throwback – A post showing something from the past. Example: “Here’s a throwback to my vacation last year!”
Review of Key Vocabulary
Alright! Before we wrap up, let’s go over today’s key vocabulary:
- Engagement – Interactions like likes, comments, and shares.
- Go viral – To become very popular online.
- Hashtag – A word or phrase with # used to categorize posts.
- Trending – A popular topic on social media.
- Follow – To subscribe to updates from an account.
- Post – Any content shared on social media.
- Story – A temporary post that disappears after 24 hours.
- Reel – A short, engaging video.
- Comment – A response written under a post.
- Troll – A person who writes negative or mean comments online.
- DM (Direct Message) – A private message.
- FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) – The feeling of missing something exciting.
- Throwback – A post showing something from the past.
- Share – To repost or send content to others.
And that’s a wrap for today! I hope this episode helped you learn some useful social media vocabulary. If you enjoyed it, don’t forget to like, share, and follow! See you in the next episode of English in Minutes! 🎙️