Hi, everyone. It’s Jeff. This blog is intended to introduce you to interesting words or phrases, word histories, and/or changes in word use.
Today, I will show you how the word “like” has changed thanks to Facebook.
Most of you are probably familiar with the basic meaning of “like” as a verb. Oxford Dictionary defines this basic meaning as, “Find agreeable, enjoyable, or satisfactory.”
However, the enormous rise in the popularity of the social media platform Facebook has led to somewhat of a metamorphosis of this word as well. Facebook introduced a button that lets you give a symbolic thumbs up to another user’s post. Like all popular trends, it started out simple enough. It just meant that you honestly liked something in the traditional sense. After a while, it started to take on a new meaning, and even new forms of speech.
Merriam Webster now lists a separate verbal meaning as, “to electronically register one’s approval of (something, such as an online post or comment) for others to see (as by clicking on an icon designed for that purpose).”
Moreover, this has evolved into a noun that means, “the act or an instance of liking an online comment, post, etc.” This is now even used by companies to track the popularity of products and services!
People not only use these terms online but in real-life conversations now. Here are a few examples to help you get used to using them yourself.
＊＊＊今日のポイント英語学習＊＊＊
“John did not like my post last night, so I think he is angry with me.”
“I posted the same picture as him, but he got way more likes than I did.”
“If this post gets more than 1,000 likes, we will give away a pair of tickets to the concert!”
Hello everyone. My name is Jeff. I am from the United States. I was born and raised in Massachusetts, but have been living and working in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka since 2005. I was heavily involved with student exchange during my high school years which prompted my interest in Japan.I now spend most of my time doing various freelance work and spending time with my family.
座右の銘は「一期一会」
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