These ‘That's What That Means' Definitions are Apt
Josh Triantafilou — March 28, 2012 — Pop Culture
References: thatswhatthatmeans.tumblr & bookfaked
The faux definitions of contemporary tropes from the Tumblr blog ‘That's What That Means’ are right on the money when it comes to the vagueness of much modern language.
Facetiousness has always been an aspect of human interaction to some degree. Still, words are not necessarily perennial things -- they come and go like leaves on a tree. This is why nobody says, "How art thou?" anymore. For instance, younger people today often use the greeting, "Sup?" This is a particularly telling word when it comes to modern interaction; it is simple, informal, direct and non-committal. That last feature—non-committal—seems to be a common theme throughout the That's What That Means definitions.
The definitions study terms convey a subtle sense of sarcasm. For instance, texting is defined as a “modern romance at its best,” by the site.
Facetiousness has always been an aspect of human interaction to some degree. Still, words are not necessarily perennial things -- they come and go like leaves on a tree. This is why nobody says, "How art thou?" anymore. For instance, younger people today often use the greeting, "Sup?" This is a particularly telling word when it comes to modern interaction; it is simple, informal, direct and non-committal. That last feature—non-committal—seems to be a common theme throughout the That's What That Means definitions.
The definitions study terms convey a subtle sense of sarcasm. For instance, texting is defined as a “modern romance at its best,” by the site.
Trend Themes
1. Modern Language Vagueness - The trend of using vague language in modern communication presents opportunities for innovative communication tools that promote clear and concise messaging.
2. Subversive Language Use - The trend of using faux word definitions to convey subversive meanings presents opportunities to create new language learning tools that help users interpret and understand coded language.
3. Humorous Definition Creation - The trend of inventing humorous definitions for contemporary terms presents opportunities for language-based marketing campaigns and content creation.
Industry Implications
1. Language Learning - The language learning industry could capitalize on the trend of subversive language use by offering resources to help decipher coded language and slang.
2. Communication Tools - The communication tools industry could capitalize on the trend of modern language vagueness by creating innovative tools that assist users in clearly conveying their intended meaning.
3. Marketing - The marketing industry could capitalize on the trend of humorous definition creation by leveraging humor to engage audiences through social media and content marketing campaigns.
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