by: Quinn Hathaway,  Advika Anand
Media Production Editor, Graphics Editor

Humans are inherently lazy. We have looked for shortcuts to alleviate any struggle since the beginning of our existence. This trend has continued into texting, an already simpler way to communicate. Abbreviations, or as Quinn’s dad says, abbrevs, have somehow worked their way into our daily lives. There are the basics like LOL, BTW, or the bane of our existence, OMW (on my way!) But now, it’s time to dive into the abbrevs that actually save time.

Now, some might say growing up involves dropping the use of abbreviations and starting to text in a more serious way. To that, we say, we are immature. When we are in a rush, why would I bother wasting seconds of my time typing out, “I don’t know what to wear,” when we could simply say “IDK (dress emoji) bro”? There is a reason Gen-Xers refer to our generation as unserious. Be that as it may, they could never get away with calling us inefficient. Back in the ol’ 1900s, they had to send carrier pigeons to schedule hangouts. In the big 26, one can simply text three letters, and my friend will know I am outside.

As society advances, so do abbreviations. Although PMO used to mean “put me on”, it has now evolved to “piss me off”. We enjoy using PMO, but simply cannot get past TS, which some people interpret as “this.” I mean, we’re all for shortcuts and using time wisely, but abbreviating four letters is a bit much, even for people as lazy as us. Despite being against TS, we’re big fans of the combination of TS and PMO to craft “this pisses me off.” Has there ever been a better combo of abbrevs to generate a perfect sentence?

The best usage of abbreviations, in my opinion, is not over text, but in person, face-to-face. We feel the same way about pronouncing each letter of an abbreviation as we do using a complex vocabulary word correctly, and honestly, the more advanced the abbreviation, the better. We especially enjoy the niche abbreviations, like BMJ (brings me joy) or WMH (warms my heart). These counteract the more negative connotations of abbreviations, which honestly just BMJ and WMH simultaneously.

However, we must address the elephant in the room: as the abbreviation lexicon expands, the knowledge gap between different generations increases substantially. The slang, which grandparents barely understand anyway, on top of the use of abbreviations, makes conversing that much more difficult. One could argue that we should stop using abbreviations entirely to make things easier on the elders in our community, but we believe that abbreviations bring more joy than confusion.

Abbreviations are the epitome of laziness — and you know what, that’s why they are amazing. Time is ticking, and if there is a faster way to communicate, whether that be over text or in person, we should embrace it. The grandparents will adapt, and soon make their own set of abbrevs — which may include TS HMB (this hurts my back). As a society, let’s not shy away from change, as saving time BMJ every day.