Social media has become a huge part of everyone’s lives nowadays. Some people might believe it’s just about keeping up with your friends or watching funny videos, but social media is so much more than that. Apps like Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram have also changed how we communicate, especially when it comes to slang words. Just like most languages, Spanish has been a target to this, where the way people use and create new slang words is evolving at a fast pace.
On Twitter, users need to be creative when they decide to express themselves, especially due to the app’s character limits. This often leads to new found slang words or the adaptations of old words with new meanings. For example, Spanish-speaking users often shorten their words or phrases to fit in the limited characters. This is what leads to new found words. Twitter has made more words used as slang common for people to use them in trending tweets or memes. Hashtags and viral challenges also help spread the new slang pretty quickly. Once a term gains views on Twitter, it becomes used daily within days of its publishing. Popular phrases have been widely used online, and also some have entered real life conversation among Spanish-speaking teens.
TikTok is known for its short videos, and these viral clips often feature catchy phrases that then become trendy. TikTok is a global platform, so when the users are exposed to slang, it is used all over the world. Spanish slang words vary from country to country, but thanks to TikTok, some slang words used in Mexico can be especially picked up in Argentina or Spain. For instance, popular Argentinian slang terms could be used in a viral TikTok seen by millions of people. Because of this, suddenly, people from all over the world, even from non-spanish speaking countries, use the term in a similar way. TikTok allows for language to mix and spread faster than ever before.
Instagram plays a vital role in shaping slang as well, but now through a more visual way. Memes, stories, and captions on Instagram can introduce new terms while the users share images and videos. Influencers and celebrities are a big part of this. When popular people use certain words or phrases, their followers are more likely to start using them too. Instagram’s stories are another place where slang words thrive. Whether it is written through text or the way people speak in their videos, the new terms often catch on and spread increasingly fast. Most words are now a part of everyday Spanish slang, even if they come from English but are said with a local twist.
Social media isn’t just changing words, it’s creating new ones as well. But because of this, it also speeds up how quickly language evolves. What might have taken years to spread in the past can now happen in weeks or even days, sometimes even hours. Social media gives everyone a voice, which allows them to contribute to the language in ways that were not possible before. So, the next time you are scrolling through TikTok, Twitter, or Instagram, look out to see how people are talking. The slang you see today might become part of everyday Spanish soon.
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