Instead of writing they are drunk, teens post “Getting MWI” — or mad with it; being in a relationship is known as “taken” or “Ownageeee” and “Ridneck”, a corruption of redneck, means to feel embarrassed, according to the study. Meanwhile, girls posting “Legal” are indicating that they are above 16 and legally allowed to have sex, researchers have found.
Lead researcher Lisa Whittaker of Stirling University said that the slang had been created to keep their activities private.
“Young people often distort the languages they use by making the pages difficult for those unfamiliar with the distortions and colloquialisms. The language used seems to go beyond abbreviations that are commonly used in text messaging, such as removing all the vowels.
“This is not just bad spelling, which would suggest literacy issues, but a deliberate attempt to creatively misspell words. The creation and use of their own social language may be a deliberate attempt to keep adults from understanding what is written on the page.
“By doing this they are able to communicate with their in-group and conceal the content from the out-group. This further adds to their online identity,”Whittaker added.