The Top Digital Marketing Slang Terms Used by Millenials in 2023

Every generation comes up with new words, phrases, or sayings to communicate. Using the proper slang is a way of showing your membership in the particular group. It’s important to understand slang terms for using in digital marketing in particular for website and social media content writers. If you’re not using the right keywords for your SEO or paid media campaigns then your target audience isn’t going to find you. Further, one misstep with using the slang incorrectly as a digital marketer and you’ll be outed as a fraud or worse mob canceled. This article discusses some common and uncommon slang in use in 2023.

Millenials didn't start the use of slang because of digital

Using slang isn't limited to Millenials or whatever the current young generation is. Was "dude" used by Shakespeare? Likewise, try reading Shakespeare and it is pretty far removed from the English that we speak today.

Brand names leveraging their own slang

It should be noted that businesses also strengthen their brands and products with their own language. The most famous example is Starbucks which famously brands common drinks with random names or off Italian words. Once you know the names specific to a Starbucks drink order you’ve become part of their club. Once you’re part of their club you’ve made a mental investment to stay in that club. Who wants to learn how to order a small coffee ten different ways.

The top slang terms in 2023

To help you stay on top of the latest trends, here are some of the most common slang terms used by Millennials and others in the digital marketing world:

1. "Reach out" – This term used to be a business-related verb, but Millennials use it to mean communication in general. For example, if you need to get in touch with someone, you might say "I'm going to reach out to them." This is a filler phrase that has to die.
2. "EOD" and “EOW” – This stands for "end of day" and “end of week” and it's a way for Millennials to indicate the end of their work day.
3. "Touch base" – This term used to refer to a business-related meeting, but Millennials use it to mean exchanging information about a project. Touching Base is another filler term that has to die.
4. "Onboarding" – This term used to refer to a company's process of hiring and training new employees. Nowadays, Millennials use it to describe the process of introducing someone to their family members in a relationship.
5. "Digital nomad" – This term is used to describe someone who works remotely from different locations around the world.

6. “Soft Launch” - An Instagram post that shows a couple is in a relationship but it doesn’t show who the other party is.
7. “Hard Launch” - An Instagram (or Tiktok) post that shows the faces of the people in the relationship.
8. “DTR” - Define the relationship.
9. “Slay” - Synonymous with crushing it or kicking a**. Often used as an email signature e.g. instead of using Best or Regards slay is used.
10. “Mom” - The most responsible person in the group or the person that looks out for the group. At Fruition, we’re lucky to have Lynne Craig as our mom.
11. “Ghost” - Often used when someone is totally irresponsible and doesn’t show up or communicate with anyone. Yes, if you ghosted anyone you’re a selfish loser and karma is brutal.
12. “JOMO” & “FOMO” - “Joy of missing out” and fear of missing out. Lots of psychology going on here that as digital marketers we can learn from. Ever bought something that everyone has had? That’s FOMO at play. Not doing something because everyone else is doing it, that's the JOMO.
13. “TBH” - “To Be Honest” - A sad filler phrase that should never be used.
14. “IMO” - “In My Opinion” - Another said filler phrase which typically indicates the person doesn’t believe in what they are about to say or don’t have any confidence in what they are saying.
15. “SMH” - “Shaking My Head” - Use in a sentence. “When I see Millenials talk about slaying I typically SMH.”
16. “SWOL” - Typically used in the gym e.g. that person is huge (or swol). It is starting to creep into the digital marketing world for example “that SEO campaign generated swol results for tough keywords.”
17. “AF” - "As F***" - Used by many generations now. Example gym use, “the Rock is SWOL AF.” Example digital marketing use “the paid media campaign results were insane AF.” Design use example “that new website design is insane AF.”
18. “WOAT” - The companion for the often used GOAT. “Worst of All Time.” Often used to describe someone on the Gram or Tiktok that someone else doesn’t like.

19. “Bougie” - A higher social class. Could be used to describe social media influencers that have more followers.

20. “GMT” - “Getting me tight” or making me upset. If someone says I’m GMT the greatest generation response would be suck it up.

21. Rubber Ducking: The process of explaining a code-related problem to a rubber duck or an inanimate object, which frequently leads to the realization of the solution by the engineer.

22. Bikeshedding: Focusing on trivial details, such as the color of the bikeshed, while neglecting more significant issues at hand.

23. Yak Shaving: Engaging in a series of seemingly unrelated tasks to solve an original problem, similar to several steps leading up to actually shaving a yak.

24. Spaghetti Code: Unorganized and difficult-to-follow code written without structure or proper planning.

25. Code Smell: A warning sign indicating that something might be off with the code, often signaling the need for refactoring or debugging.

26. Heisenbug: A mysterious software bug that seems to disappear whenever it gets investigated.

27. Dogfooding: For some reason I really hate this one.

Summarizing Slang that You’ll See Used in SEO and other Digital Marketing

• Millennials use slang terms commonly in digital marketing, including "reach out" (for communication), “EOD” and “EOW” ("end of day" and “end of week”)", "touch base" (to exchange information about a project),"onboarding" (what was once the company process for hiring new employees is now used for introducing family members into a relationship), and “digital nomad” (someone who works remotely from different locations around the world).
• Common slang terms also include “soft launch” (an Instagram post that shows a couple is in a relationship but doesn’t show who the other party is), “hard launch” (a social media post that shows both people in the couple) , "DTR" (define the relationship), “Slay” (synonymous with crushing it or kicking a**, often used as an email signature), "Mom" (the most responsible person in the group), and "ghosting" (when someone is totally irresponsible and doesn't show up or communicate with anyone).
• Filler terms include TBH and IMO.
• Other slang terms include: “JOMO/FOMO.”