It’s the mid-2020s, and there are very few people in the developed world who still don’t know what “LOL” or “BRB” means. (If you’re one of the few, they stand for “Laughing Out Loud” and “Be Right Back” and are used universally in texts and other online communications.)
Those abbreviations date back to the very early days of the Internet, as does another one: ASL.
The Common Meaning of “ASL” Online
A small number of people may use “ASL” to refer to American Sign Language, but anyone who’s spent much time chatting online over the last few decades will know what it means when another user asks “ASL?” They want to know your age, sex, and location, most likely because they’re looking for friends to talk with, flirt with — or date.
The Common Meaning of “asl” on TikTok
TikTok doesn’t have a dedicated chat function, though, so if you see the abbreviation used in users’ post captions or TikTok profiles, it probably means something very different.
Over the last few years, GenZers have started using “asl” (in small letters) as shorthand for “as hell.” For instance, they’d say “I’m hungry asl” (translating to “I’m hungry as hell”) or “he’s stupid asl” (“he’s stupid as hell”). Since more than a third of TikTok users are aged 18-24 and another third are 25-34, the abbreviation has caught on like wildfire on the social media platform.
If you’re seeing “ASL” or “asl” on the app, it probably stands for “as hell.” It would be smart though, to pause a beat before responding to any message that includes it, to make sure you’re interpreting it correctly. Understanding the proper context could save you some embarrassment.
About the Author
Peter Hasselworth is a contributor at iDigic, sharing valuable insights about Instagram growth and social media marketing strategies.