The Web has modified many issues about life, so it’s maybe no shock that it’s modified the best way we use English as properly.
The origins of Web slang are different, starting from technological meanings which have morphed into verbal shortcuts to references to badly spelled memes to even additional and stranger issues.
On this article, we’ll focus on one phrase, “Don’t @ me,” pronounced and infrequently spelled “don’t at me.”
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What does it mean when somebody says “don’t @ me”?
If somebody says “don’t @ me,” then, they’re saying they don’t want to see you tag them.
This phrase has its origins on standard social community Twitter, the place the @ signal on the keyboard is used to “tag” somebody.
This image is pronounced as “at” due to its inclusion in electronic mail addresses, the place it signifies the electronic mail server an individual makes use of.
In essence, when you kind an @ signal and somebody’s Twitter username, they get a notification containing what you mentioned about them.
The expression has grown past Twitter, because the @ image can now be utilized in the same approach on many different social media platforms.
Sometimes, that is utilized in a mock-angry approach after exaggerating an opinion on one thing. On this context, it means one thing like “and I don’t care what you assume.”
Nonetheless, folks additionally use “don’t @ me” in a severe and honest method.
Until you’re completely certain the individual is joking, it’s best to assume that anybody who says this doesn’t need to be a part of a subsequent dialog a couple of subject.
The @ (at) signal
The important thing to understanding this specific piece of Web slang lies with the @ signal.
Apparently, there isn’t a proper name for this image in English. It supposedly dates from Medieval Spanish and Portuguese, the place it was used to refer to a particular weight unit known as the “arroba,” roughly 25 kilos.
Lengthy historical past apart, most individuals at present are conversant in this image from electronic mail addresses, the place the @ refers to the e-mail server or supplier related to a particular electronic mail account.
You’ll be able to consider this @ like the road name or home number within the first line of your bodily deal with.
It’s this affiliation with electronic mail addresses that provides the @ its meaning of “at” and its widespread name of the “at signal.”
Nonetheless, though it’s most acquainted from electronic mail addresses, the rationale @ is on this specific phrase is due to the favored social media platform Twitter.
@ and Twitter
Twitter is a social media platform that’s all about brevity. On the off probability you aren’t conversant in it, the fundamental thought is that you’ve 280 characters to ship a message to anyone else. (For reference, the size of this paragraph is nearly precisely 270 characters.)
Twitter launched in 2006 and by 2007 was already immensely standard, with tens of hundreds messages despatched per day. At this time, Twitter customers ship tens of tens of millions of messages per day utilizing the service, such a big number chances are you’ll want to take a second to let it sink in.
All of this brings us to the prominence of the @ signal, one of many early improvements to Twitter. Though at present’s character restrict per submit is 280, the preliminary restrict was 140.
As a result of that isn’t a lot room to say something, early Twitter customers wanted a approach to direct messages at each other with out taking over area.
Somebody stumble on the concept of placing an @ in entrance of somebody’s username to get their consideration, and by 2008 this was a longtime sufficient follow that Twitter added assist for it, in order that typing @ and somebody’s username would ship them a notification that that they had been talked about by anyone else.
The @ on different platforms
Though @ had its begin as a approach to “tag” or point out somebody on Twitter, this image finally unfold to different programs as properly.
As an example, @ can now be used to add somebody to a submit on Fb and Instagram, in addition to most Web boards and plenty of different social media providers.
Some makes use of of @ in online communication software program really predate Twitter. In these different platforms, the image was usually used otherwise, nevertheless.
As an example, on Web Relay Chat (IRC), a preferred chat platform within the Nineties and early 2000s, the @ signal earlier than somebody’s username indicated that that they had administrative entry to the chat server or room.
These different makes use of apart, @ is now firmly related to Twitter and tagging.
Due to its widespread nature and it near-universal understanding online as being a approach to add somebody to the dialog, @ has primarily made its approach into Web conversations as a approach of meaning “contact” or “embrace.”
“Don’t @ me” or “Don’t at me” is a good instance of this, and we will already begin to intuit its final meaning.
To @ or not to @
Like every type of dialog, Web chat and messaging providers usually create their very own guidelines and etiquette.
This etiquette is very fraught round use of the @ signal, as a result of Twitter particularly may give folks an unlimited group of followers.
Whether or not or not it’s well mannered to @ anyone will rely upon the state of affairs.
As an example, some folks will strive to generate quite a lot of curiosity of their services or products by discovering a star and mentioning them in a submit, hoping that the superstar will see it and share it with their hundreds of followers.
In some circumstances this may be acceptable, particularly if the services or products will give its income to a charitable trigger the individual cares about.
Nonetheless, quite a lot of the time at present this follow simply devolves into spam, with an individual mentioning all people time and again and over.
Individuals can even use the @ signal to harass others. For instance, an emotional abuser or stalker may tag their victims utilizing the @ to allow them to know they’re being watched online, in addition to in individual.
More often than not, nevertheless, folks use the @ signal benevolently.
It’s a good way to contain different folks in a dialog you assume pertains to them, or have a good time their successes if they’re too shy to do it on their very own.
Like with any kind of etiquette, the best factor to do when you’re undecided whether or not an @ is suitable is to ask earlier than you do it.
“Don’t @ me”
All this dialogue about @ing might seem to be a deep dive into obscure Web habits, however it’s essential to actually perceive the nuance of “don’t at me.”
As a result of tagging somebody with @ is a approach to add them to a dialog, specific requests to not be tagged are primarily the identical as saying “I don’t want to discuss this subject.”
At its core, then, “don’t at me” or “don’t @ me” mainly mean “Please don’t add me to this dialogue.”
When its being utilized in a honest approach, that’s precisely what the individual saying that is requesting.
It’s value noting, as properly, that using this phrase can prolong past the particular social media platform getting used.
Somebody who says not to @ them most likely simply means they don’t need to hear concerning the subject in any respect.
Examples
“Should you discover a typo in my newest novel, please don’t @ me with it.”
Right here, the creator is actually saying not to tag them with the dangerous information about errors in a ebook they’ve written.
Though this is able to most likely mean “on Twitter,” the phrase can even counsel that they simply don’t need to hear about errors of their ebook through electronic mail, cellphone name or another methodology as properly.
“Ugh. Are you able to please not @ me right here?”
This individual is bored with being tagged a couple of particular subject and is asking others to cease doing it. Regardless of their purpose, they’re clearly sick of the dialog so the well mannered factor to do is to hear to their request.
The connection to “struggle me”
With the Web being the Web, not everyone seems to be curious about honest dialog.
“Don’t @ me” can be utilized in a joking approach, form of like “struggle me,” one other phrase usually seen on Twitter in a lower than severe context.
“Struggle me” had its begin online across the identical time because the @ image turned used on Twitter as a approach to tag folks.
In contrast to @, although, the possible origin of “struggle me” is 4chan, an Web message board recognized for its raucous ambiance and, in accordance to some, poisonous tradition.
On 4chan and related message boards, the phrase began as “struggle me IRL,” the place IRL means “in actual life.”
The phrase itself has ties to one other, “Come at me, bro,” additionally used as a really macho approach of attempting to begin a struggle with somebody.
(This one was made Web well-known from an MTV present known as Jersey Shore, the place one significantly aggressive character had a behavior of utilizing it to try to present how robust he’s.)
Initially, these requests to struggle had been made in anger and as a approach to present how severe you had been about defending your facet of an argument.
Examples
“Metallic is approach higher than laborious rock.”
“WTF. Struggle me IRL.”
Right here, two persons are arguing about music preferences. In a traditional, smart dialog, they could simply agree to disagree.
Nonetheless, the second poster right here has taken main issue with the primary assertion that heavy metallic is the higher fashion of music, and is displaying it by making an attempt to begin (or a minimum of pretending to need) a bodily struggle.
“Struggle me” and ironic robust man posturing
Language adjustments over time, and context is famously king.
What does this have to do with “don’t @ me”? We’ll get there, however for now let’s simply do not forget that these two guidelines apply simply as properly to Web terminology as they do another kind of language.
Today when you see somebody say “struggle me,” there are even odds that they’re simply goofing round.
Particularly on Twitter, the phrase has misplaced a lot of its offended connotations and now’s used extra usually to emphasize an opinion in a mock-angry approach.
When used on this approach, “struggle me” is normally appended to a submit by the identical individual stating their opinion, moderately than posted as a separate response to it.
The opinion itself could possibly be a severe one, or may equally simply be somebody stating that they’re doing one thing uncommon they usually don’t care what different folks assume.
Examples
“Adam West is the best Batman struggle me.”
“Consuming leftover pizza and ice cream for breakfast struggle me.”
Each of those examples present “struggle me” used as a parody of robust man tradition.
Within the first instance, the individual penning this clearly has a robust choice for the campy Sixties model of Batman.
The second sentence simply attracts consideration to what may be thought-about a nasty behavior and an unhealthy breakfast in a jocular method.
Right here, “struggle me” implies that the individual is properly conscious this isn’t a good suggestion however doesn’t care what folks assume.
Discover that there’s normally no punctuation added earlier than “struggle me,” though the phrase can be written as a separate sentence as properly.
“Don’t @ me” as parody
This detour brings us again to our authentic subject, “don’t at me” or “don’t @ me.”
Like “struggle me,” this phrase can be utilized to draw consideration to a submit whereas pretending you don’t need to hear any counter-arguments.
On this sense, saying “don’t @ me” is akin to a “mic drop,” the place somebody says one thing so profound or incontestable that the one potential response is awed silence.
Principally, if somebody makes use of the phrase this fashion they’re implying that their opinion is the one appropriate one.
Alternately, they might be doing one thing related to “struggle me,” the place they’re proudly stating one thing that well mannered society says they need to most likely be ashamed of and don’t actually care what different folks assume.