Internet slang (
Internet shorthand,
Cyber-slang,
netspeak, or
chatspeak) refers to a variety of
slang languages used by different people on the
Internet. It is difficult to provide a standardized definition of Internet slang due to the constant changes made to its nature. However, it can be understood to be a type of
slang that
Internet users have popularized, and in many cases, have coined. Such terms often originate with the purpose of saving
keystrokes or to compensate for small character limits. Many people use the same
abbreviations in
texting and
instant messaging, and
social networking websites.
Acronyms,
keyboard symbols and
abbreviations are common types of Internet slang. New dialects of slang, such as
leet or
Lolspeak, develop as
ingroup internet memes rather than time savers.