Language is constantly shifting and evolving, and with the near-constant addition of different social media networks to our day-to-day lives, language can become even more complicated. Each different social networking app has its own lingo, so if you're, say, an avid Instagram user, knowing what Instagram terms and acronyms mean will help avoid cross-pollination where it doesn't make sense, keeping your posts on message (and on fleek, if you're Instagramming your brows). For example, you wouldn't really hashtag #subtweet on an Instagram post because that's pretty specific to Twitter, just as you wouldn't use #latergram on Twitter — and knowing the difference can be essential to developing a good social media presence.
And even if you don't use a particular social media network, it can still be worth it to know the vocabulary of each one. Let's return to #latergram, for example: In its original form, it's definitely an Instagram term; however, creative users of other platforms can transform it into something more appropriate for that particular medium — on Twitter, it might become #latertweet or #latertwitter. Heck, given how early internet acronyms later spread to our spoken conversations (think "LOL," "OMG," and so on and so forth), it's even possible that these terms might start to spread to our everyday vocabularies, as well. The world has gone digital, and keeping up with the lingo can be the difference between changing with the times or staying locked in the past.
Instagram terms will usually come hashtagged, although not always; either way, though — and whether they're Instagram-specific, cross-platform, or customizable — these 10 words, phrases, and acronyms are definitely essential information. So for the sake of both your Insta-game and your everyday life, they're worth learning. School's in session!
1. LB
The acronym "LB" stands for "like back" or "likeback"; if someone likes one of your photos, they might comment with "LB" as a request for you to like them in return. In some cases, it can be an effective tactic for boosting someone's Instagram presence and increasing followers, although it's always worth remembering that it's a request — not a guarantee. No one is required to like anyone back if they don't want to.
2. OOTD
This acronym stands for "outfit of the day." "OOTD" may be used for a number of occasions; you might tag a photo with it if you're dressed differently from how you usually dress, if you're dressed for a formal occasion, or if you're sporting an outfit which is particularly on fleek. You'll commonly see it on fashion bloggers' Instagrams, because, well, that's what they do.
3. Regram
A regram is Instagram's version of a retweet. When someone tags or captions a photo with "regram," it means they've shared an image they found on another Instagram account.
4. WCW
My personal favorite Instagram acronym, this stands for "woman crush Wednesday," where Instagram post an image of their woman crush on, you guessed it, Wednesday. It can change each Wednesday or remain the same each week. The GIF above is an image of my forever WCW, Daenerys Targaryen.
5. MCM
Basically the same as WCW, but MCM is "male crush Monday." Mine is always Jon Snow. Can you guess my favorite TV show?
6. Transformation Tuesday
"Transformation Tuesday" is what you caption an image that shows a particular transformation. It can be a fitness update, a baby pic of yourself compared to a current pic, or anything else you might think of as falling under the general "transformation" umbrella. It's neatly wedged between "MCM" and "WCW," in case you have nothing else to do on Tuesday.
7. No Filter
"No filter" (which you'll usually encounter in hashtag form — as in, #nofilter) means that you've posted a photo without a filter put on it or with little to no editing done to it; it's meant to show the natural beauty of a person, place, or thing. It can also be used as a caption for images where people are wearing little or no makeup to indicate that there's nothing filtering their actual appearance. As someone who loves to edit photos and throw filters on, I don't use this hashtag too often, but I love how it has extended across social media platforms and into real life.
8. Fitfam And Fitspo
These terms often come hashtagged; they're typically added to posts meant to motivate people to hit their fitness goals, whether it's a snap of a healthy meal or an imaging capturing a workout routine.
9. IGDaily
"IGDaily" means "daily Instagram"; think of it as shorthand for "Instagram of the day." Like "fitfam" and "fitspo," "IGDaily" is usually hashtagged, so the image is added to a collection of images posted by Instagrammers who have dedicated a portion of each day to the gram.
10. Later Gram
For when you take a picture and post it a couple days, months, or even years later.
Images: Studio4/E+/Getty Images; Giphy (9)
