The 5 Most Overused Expressions on the Internet

[trillium13 84]

http://jezebel.com/5551384/the-5-most-overused-expressions-on-the-internet/

As someone who has been moderating comments for over two years (and using the internet for about 17), I've seen a lot of internet slang fads come and go. But there are some phrases, it seems, that just won't die:

I'm not going to go so far as to say these phrases should be outright banned (mostly because that never works) nor am I going to deny using any of these phrases at one point or another (everyone has at some point, I'm sure), but lately it seems like it's getting harder and harder not to feel slightly irritated when coming across one of the following phrases, which seem to have overstayed their welcome by at least four years:

5. "DIAF/Die In A Fire." This is one of those expressions that people throw out in order to let everyone know just how much they HATE somebody, as dying in a fire is perhaps one of the worst possible ways to die. I really, really hate this expression. I've always hated this expression. How did this expression ever get popular? It's one of those things that is strictly internet-only: if you ever went to some random party and pointed to another human being and said, "That's Alan. I hope he dies in a fire," everyone would look at you like you were Patrick Bateman in a dress and then whisper, "That was a bit much, right?" as soon as you hopped off to pet a kitten or talk about American Idol or what have you. And even if you don't agree with my personal distaste for the phrase (and wish that I, too, would DIAF), you have to at least admit that the phrase is really, really tired. It's so old and overdone at this point that it's akin to saying "get bent" or "drop dead" or "stick a rubber hose up your nose" or what have you. I'm not telling you you can't hate people, internet. God knows I wouldn't take that away from you. But when your go-to attack phrase is as overused at this one, it probably needs to die, too, in whatever horrible way you can imagine it to.

4. FAIL: "Fail," as a concept, can be fun. Look at FailBlog! You can easily laugh at whatever dumb/funny stuff gets thrown up there, because it is, in fact, a failure of sorts, but one that finds success in being awful/unusual, and therefore actually ends up winning in some bizarro Bad News Bears kind of way. But "fail" has replaced "awesome" as the word that everyone needs to pull back on by roughly 9000%. Your inability to finish breakfast at the diner last week was not a "Pancake Fail." Your mascara getting in your hair is not a "Cosmetics Fail." Fail is catchy and easy to use, which makes it the -ista of internetisms, attached to everything to make it conversationally trendy. You don't have to give it up completely, but if you're using FAIL! to scold the government and FAIL! to mock your cat's inability to piss in the litter box and FAIL! to recall that time you ate a paper clip, the phrase itself kind of loses a bit of power, doesn't it?

3. "THIS." We have all done THIS. This! THIS THIS THIS! SO MUCH THIS! THIS!!!! THIS THIS! It's a more enthusiastic way to say, "Yes, I agree, you've completely captured my thoughts on this subject and expressed them in a way I couldn't quite express myself. Thank you, fellow internet user. You are correct, and I appreciate your input." And that's fine. I get that. It's a relief, sometimes, to see that someone has perfectly put together the thoughts that are floating around in your brain. But lately it seems that "THIS" has taken on a life of its own. People tend to get annoyed in forums when people pipe in with "me, too!" or "I totally agree!" but somehow, "THIS" gets a pass, because it's more definitive, and currently quite popular as an internet tool of expression. But "THIS" can actually be detrimental to a conversation, especially when the THIS! poster only posts that one word, and nothing else. Yeah, you agree, but why? For what reasons? Why is whatever this comment is so very THIS to you? Why can't it be THAT? It's one of those things that's fine in moderation, but used too often, the very emphasis it's supposed to provide—that whatever comment it follows is a definitive statement or the truth, end of story, thanks for playing, have a nice day—becomes watered down and meaningless.

2. TL; DR/ "Too long; didn't read." People are still doing this! In 2010! (They are also using too many exclamation points! And by they, I mean me! THIS! Epic Fail!) I have no idea why this still exists. If something on the internet is too long for you to read, I'm sorry. Life is hard. Go to Twitter.

1. "Wow...just, wow." NO, JUST NO. This is maybe the most annoying phrase in internet history. "Wow...just wow," is one of the laziest remarks you'll see in any comment section, because it requires no thought whatsoever while implying that the reader does, in fact, have several thoughts on whatever brought them to the brink of implied speechlessness. It is never "wow, just wow." That phrase holds a million reactions, all watered down into a cliche, and it's unfortunate, in that some of the best emotional reactions to seriously weird/insane/disturbing/amazing things on the internet could be written in place of this tired, tired, tired remark, and they aren't. If something has moved you to the point where you have no words, fine. But don't throw out three overused words to express it. If you're able to hit your keys, go beyond "wow, just wow," and explain why you're so amazed/horrified/blown away by whatever it is you just read/saw. Either that, or skip to another site and catch the latest trend that's suddenly bordering on overexposure by posting a picture of someone you want to have sex with alongside the caption "UNF," which the Urban Dictionary defines as the "Universal Noise of ######."

So there you have it. Like I said earlier, we've all done these things. We'll all, myself included, probably do these things again, millions of times. But I don't think it would hurt to consider, at the very least, pulling back on a few of these phrases, at least for a little while.

[Rhiannercakes 14]

I must not use the internet enough, I dont use any of those

[ValerieA 350]

I have never even heard DIAF

[SuperDuper! 230]

Thank God I only recognized one (FAIL, and most of the time, these are still funny, so why stop using it?) of these so called 5 most overused internet phrases. So this means I do have a real life, and am not a 'Net Nerd after all!

Now, what can the 10K posters club members say?

[Gary and Alla 3,694]

I have never seen or heard 2-5. I have never seen number 1 (Wow, just wow) used on the internet but I have used it a few times myself completely spontaneously, most of the times I will not discuss publically, but I think under some circumstances..."Wow, just Wow" is a perfect expression but you would have to be there.

[TBoneTX 43,058]

The most underused term on the Internet, si man, is "Canandaigua."

[Scott & Lai 12]

So where does "si, man" fit on the scale?

[TBoneTX 43,058]

So where does "si, man" fit on the scale?

I don't know, no man, but good question, si man.

[mawilson 2,133]

The most overused expression is LOL.

DIAF sounds like something the author made up, I've never seen it.

[Welshcookie 17]

DIAF sounds like something the author made up, I've never seen it.

I died a little inside when I read this....no one has ever said this to you Mark?!

[SuperDuper! 230]

The most overused expression is LOL.

DIAF sounds like something the author made up, I've never seen it.

Mark, just because a phrase is commonly used does not mean it is OVER USED.

Emotions are not easily conveyed in email or txt, so it is important to use emoticons.

Expressing laughter and humor is important and "lightens up" a topic, so LOL will always have a place.

Why not say the terms "Please" and "Thank you" are over used as well, and see what kind of world we would live in wo them.

Peace and ENJOY YOURSELF.

Edited June 1, 2010 by Hopp

[SMR 368]

The most underused term on the Internet, si man, is "Canandaigua."

It's a good place, but I don't see why it has much use on the internet unless you live there.

[IndigoSkies 168]

A lot of those, I've never seen. Like DIAF and TLDR. But did saw a lot of RTFA as in Read The F***ing Article. Or a variation of it DRTFA, as in Didn't RTFA.

Edited June 1, 2010 by IndigoSkies

[Amby 490]

I died a little inside when I read this....no one has ever said this to you Mark?!

I will start using it on him

[chri'stina 190]

I don't recognize #5 or #2. I can think of other ones that should be added to the list.