Back in the day, when phone keyboards were small and screen space was precious, texters could often be found sending each other acronyms instead of full words. They were quick and easy to send, and everyone seemed to hold a universal knowledge of them, like a secret texting language spoken by all.
Now, you don’t see these acronyms as often, if at all. One TikTok user thinks there is a pretty sad reason for that.
Content creator @ifeelprettyweird shared her thoughts on text acronyms becoming extinct, and it’s something that will hit millennials hard.
“Now we never leave the internet,” she argued. “We never leave. We take it with us. So there’s literally no reason to say, ‘Be right back, gotta go.’”
Because the internet has become such a ubiquitous part of our lives, there’s no longer a reason to use text acronyms that count as sign-offs anymore. There’s really no reason to use text acronyms at all, because phones now have full, easy-to-use keyboards and people expect to see full words.
So, millennials have been left to mourn the loss of what were once very important acronyms in their everyday lives. They’re gathering in this woman’s comments section to lament the loss of what they once had.
Here are six text acronyms that are now extinct that millennials are mourning:
1. BRB
This shortened form of “be right back” was used almost constantly when someone was stepping away from their phone or computer for a bit.
“Be right back; I gotta go help my mom with something,” the woman said in her video as an example.
Now, as several people noted in the comments, BRB is still occasionally used in remote work conversations. “I hate how away messages are just for work emails,” one person said. “They used to be for funsies. We used to be a proper country.”
2. GTG
This way of saying “got to go” was another that the woman used in her video as an example. “Got to go; it’s dinner time,” she said.
GTG was an infamous way to end a conversation quickly, especially when there were prying eyes nearby.
Now, as this woman pointed out, there’s no reason to tell people you’ve GTG. You’re never stepping away from the internet, so you don’t really have to go anywhere.
“I miss the internet living in a box in my family’s computer room!” one commenter insisted.
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3. AFK
AFK is sort of a substitute for GTG or BRB, meaning “away from keyboard.” According to some commenters, this is still used among video gamers. It would make sense that someone playing a video game would need to let others know they were stepping away from their keyboard momentarily.
Of course, there’s no need for the average person to say they’re away from their keyboard when they’re literally never away from their keyboard. Instead of stepping away from your computer and no longer having access to your keyboard, it’s always in your back pocket.
4. ROFL
“Why can’t I ROFL anymore?” one person asked in the comments section. It is true that ROFL was once used to let someone know you were (most likely metaphorically) “rolling on the floor laughing.”
Now, for laughter purposes, LOL is still alive and well, as is a simple “haha.” But, more often than not, an actual laughing face emoji is the most likely option.
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5. PAW
PAW was a shortened form of “parents are watching,” perhaps a precursor to the still relevant NSFW.
“And then your friends would proceed to write the most vile things they can think of,” one commenter recalled fondly.
PAW was useful for kids trying to keep their parents from discovering what they were discussing with friends. Now, kids undoubtedly have other methods of making sure their conversations stay private.
6. TTYL
TTYL is a beloved acronym that was once used to mean “talk to you later.” The truly hip would even say it out loud.
One TikToker mentioned it with a broken heart emoji and said, “It’s just a constant stream of conversation now.”
Instead of having breaks in your conversation that require such messages now, you’re always talking to friends without any pause in conversations. There’s no need to break it off for a while when your phone is with you at all times.
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Although these acronyms have become a thing of the past, they still hold good memories for many.
According to Backlinkothe average American spends seven hours and three minutes on a screen each day. With so much time spent on a phone or computer, it’s no wonder that acronyms like BRB and TTYL have slowly been phased out.
While these acronyms are becoming relics of the past, they are still fun to revisit for nostalgia.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
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