Ethan Week 1: Who is “Bro” – 8/26 [8:50pm]

Anyone Gen Z and younger is bilingual. Not in the sense that they can speak in two languages, but in the sense that they could communicate perfectly using “Bro,” “LMAO,” “😭,” and a plethora of other convoluted abbreviations and ambiguous emojis. It shocks me that, at one point in history, language consisted of actual words that actually meant what they said. Now that the Internet has arrived, we have decided that the “💀” could mean anything from this sucks to a form of laughter. This trend doesn’t just occur in English; almost every other language has evolved into this digital jargon. However, this phenomenon reveals something much deeper than just a different form of communication. 


Take a moment to read your last text message to your friend and compare that to the last conversation you had with that friend in real life. Most likely, you’ll realize that the way you communicated the same meaning may have been completely different, yet your friend understood it both ways. This matters more than most people think as language isn’t just about communicating information. Linguists have long studied how language helps convey a person’s identity: their social background, personality, and even their sense of belonging. For instance, if I text someone using “BRO NAHH” instead of “that’s crazy,” it can show that I may be closer to this person or that I’m more extroverted. 


However, the most interesting finding about how language relates to identity is how it can directly shape it. Think about the first time you got social media or started texting your friends, you probably didn’t know a single abbreviation. Phrases like “istg” or “lmao” only developed into your vocabulary after you were repeatedly being exposed to them. Research shows that the degree to which you unconsciously match another person’s linguistic patterns can reveal how close your relationship is with them. As you slowly understand a community’s slang and jokes, you begin adopting them in your own language, allowing others to recognize that you belong while also reinforcing your sense of belonging. This then not only changes how you talk but also how you see yourself. 


Even though you may act differently than the way you text, this online version of you is still you. In the thousands of years of human interaction, people have always learned to adapt their language to fit into different social environments. The internet has just provided us with another way to express this process. Now the next time you send your friend a goofy meme or a wave of emojis, ask yourself: Why did I start communicating like this, and what does it say about me? 












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