does-community-determine-word-meaning Internet Slang

Internet Slang

Does the Community Determine the Meaning of Words?

About this topic

This question asks whether the meaning of words resides in individual minds or is determined by the community that uses them. On the internet, slang like '草' (lol), 'エモい' (emo), 'それな' (exactly) quickly acquire meaning within specific communities. Drawing on Wittgenstein's 'language games,' it explores how meaning emerges through use in online contexts. Internet slang is living language where meaning is continuously updated not by dictionaries but by the people who use it.

Conceptual positions
01 Communitarian View of Language

The view that meaning arises within the shared practices of a community. Internet slang is a prime example—specific forums or Twitter communities 'determine' meaning. Usage takes priority over dictionaries.

02 Individualist Semantics

The view that meaning resides in individual minds or intentions, and the community merely shares it. Even online, the individual is seen as the starting point: 'this person said it, so it means this.'

03 Pragmatic Approach

Meaning is dynamically determined by context and use. Online, meaning is negotiated instantly in short exchanges, with the community's tacit knowledge playing a major role.

04 Post-structuralist Perspective

The view that meaning is never fixed but constantly shifts within power relations and differences. The meaning of internet slang also constantly wavers depending on who uses it and in what context.

Talk entry points

  1. When did you start using the word '草'? Who did you learn it from?

  2. Why do you use words that only make sense in a specific community?

  3. How do you learn the meaning of new slang when it appears?

  4. Do you think word meanings change when communities change?

  5. When someone says 'それな' to you, what do you feel?

  6. If someone doesn't understand a slang word, how do you explain it?

Conceptual tensions
Shared vsIndividual
Is meaning something everyone decides together, or something individual? Online, both seem to happen simultaneously. Even when a community decides meaning, it is ultimately the individual who uses that meaning.
Fixed vsFluid
Once a community settles on a meaning, is it permanent? Or does it keep changing? Internet slang has particularly high fluidity—words usable yesterday can feel outdated today.
Inclusion vsExclusion
When a community determines meaning, it strengthens internal bonds but also excludes outsiders. Slang creates intimacy and simultaneously builds walls.
Correctness vsLiveliness
Which should take priority—the 'correct' meaning in the dictionary or the meaning that is actually alive in the community? Online, the latter overwhelmingly prevails.
Past vsPresent
Should we respect meanings from older communities or accept new usages? Online, new meanings are constantly born and old ones overwritten.
Talk note

This theme is for visualizing the 'invisible rules' behind the words exchanged online. Let's make it a space to enjoy linguistic diversity while respecting each other's communities. It is a dialogue for observing together how meanings are born, rather than imposing meanings.

Glossary
Language Game
Concept proposed by Wittgenstein: the meaning of words is determined by their use within a context or set of rules. Internet slang is a prime example of language games played online.
Community
A group of people sharing common language, values, and rules. Online examples include bulletin boards, Discord servers, or Twitter mutual-follow circles.
Slang
Informal words or expressions used within a specific group. Internet slang is characterized by rapid birth, change, and obsolescence.
Pragmatics
The study of how meaning changes depending on context and usage. In online conversation, a great deal of meaning is negotiated in short texts.
Wittgenstein
20th-century philosopher who proposed the concept of language games in 'Philosophical Investigations' and argued that meaning arises through use.
Meaning Negotiation
The process in which conversation participants confirm and adjust word meanings on the spot. Online, replies and quote tweets serve this role.
Talk prompts
Ice breaker

Name one internet slang you recently used and talk about the context in which that word was born.

Deep dive

If word meanings are completely determined by the community, who decides what 'correct Japanese' is?

Bridge

While listening to the slang the other person uses, quietly imagine: 'In which world is this word living?'

Further questions
  • The role of slang in creating community boundaries
  • Who determines the meaning of words generated by AI?
  • The significance of untranslatable internet words
  • The process of incorporating slang into 'correct Japanese'
  • The discomfort when someone outside the community uses slang
  • Are words whose meanings have died truly dead?