Online phenomenon has greatly contributed to the English language. Recently the words “twerk” and “selfie” have been added to the dictionary. This has had major implications in our social world because it means our online habits are spilling into our daily lives. With this in mind, what do you think will be next? The generation of our parents feared that even texting would dilute the English language and yet our culture seems fine as we still study Shakespeare. Could you imagine if a class studied the great English classics one day and then lectured on twerking the next?

While I might not be a fan of some of the new social media lingo, it is inevitable. Online culture is very powerful and many popular social media colloquialisms describe real life with resounding clarity. One of my favorite words, “thirst” has recently been used to describe more than a state in which someone needs a glass or water.

Urban Dictionary.com describes thirst as “a form of lust or want of members of the opposite sex. This term can refer to males and females. It also denotes an attention seeker or someone who is eager to get something. This word gained viral popularity from Vine and meme culture. In college, thirst manifests itself many times as young undergrads go into a frenzy trying to find their next hook-up or potential wife or husband.

“Selfie” for example is product of social media such as Instagram and Facebook. If we ask our grandparents what a selfie is, they would look puzzled. Yet, if you ask someone in their teens to describe “a picture taken of a person by that person,” they might have difficulty. Selfies are now apart of youth culture and you will often see teenagers at events taking pictures and yelling “Selfie!” to capture the moment.

This new form of communication is here whether we like it or not. I am a fan of change and I am curious to see how our language will evolve. Even if phrases like “twerk” don’t deserve a space in Webster’s Dictionary, we cannot deny the power of online media.