Remember a decade ago when all the cool kids started saying LOL?
It was a confusing time. Did it mean lots of love? Or did it mean laugh out love? Or did it mean both at once?
This was one of the defining moments that seemed to separate millennials from the baby boomers. The tech-savvy from those that avoided technology like the plague.
Ever since the dot-com boom in the nineties, we have seen a rapid progression of screen technology and the various ways we can communicate online. With that has come to an evolution in the type of language we use and an uptick in abbreviations.
When we use abbreviations like LOL, it is often a way to become more relatable to our peers, make a statement not seem as serious and make the conversation, in general, more lighthearted. This is important because many of us are communicating blindly-in that we can not see any body language during our interaction.
So abbreviations when communicating online has become our way of making what can seem like a short and sharp interaction much warmer, inviting and friendly.
Since LOL took the digital world by storm, there have been plenty of other abbreviations that have had trends of their own. From IYKYN (if you know, you know) being one of the most common Instagram captions to SMH (shaking my head) one of the most frequent reactions to comment on social media posts.
For those that have taken to TikTok in particular, you may have noticed a new abbreviation making the rounds-PFP.
Have you ever wondered what is PFP and what does it mean?
Well, we are here to help you get up to speed with the various meanings of PFP and when to use them in different social settings.
Defining PFP
There are actually multiple definitions for PFP. So we are going to start with the most common use as defined by those who use TikTok and make our way down from there.
1. PFP = Profile Picture
Made famous by TikTok users, PFP refers to the profile picture a user has for their account. Every user needs some sort of PFP to make their profile unique and stand out amongst the millions of users. But more so than just being a PFP, it is also a re-occurring trend on the platform-where users band together and update their PFP in a certain way to support a person, cause or movement.
Here are some ways in which PFP can be used in conversation.
Example 1:
"Girl, your PFP is lit. I love it"
Example 2:
"Does my PFP look good?"
Example 3:
"I checked out her PFP, she looks hot."
2. PFP = Photo for Proof
This definition is still quite common, but more so used outside the world of TikTok. When people use PFP to mean photo for proof, it is most likely being said over a texting or messaging conversation amongst friends or as an Instagram caption full of irony. We live in a world today where we need to see visual evidence for proof that an event actually took place. PFP is the perfect representation of our photo-obsessed society and a need to visualize reality.
Here are a few ways in which PFP in this context can be used in conversation.
Example 1:
Person A: I just saw Rhianna at Trader Joe's!
Person B: PFP!
Person A: [responds with photo]
Person B : That is so crazy, you are so lucky.
Example 2:
Person A posts a collection of photos from their time in Italy, all of which are the cliché shots tourists love to take. They accompany it with a caption that says "Finally left the country. #PFP"
3. PFP = Professional Finance Planner
This is a great example of how a non-social media user is likely to use PFP and why context is everything for this abbreviation. It is very likely that in this context, the speaker would not feel the need to abbreviate. They want to sound professional and ask for a professional service, so would likely request a professional financial planner. However, it is likely that those who do this career would have PFP on their LinkedIn profile and that those in the industry would be more comfortable using the abbreviation in everyday discourse.
Final Thoughts on Using PFP
PFP means multiple different phrases or titles. It comes down to the type of platform the conversation is taking place on, the standard discourse that incurs and the context in which you want to use PFP.
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of sciencetimes.com
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