Today, billions of people use different social media apps for several reasons. From fun to business, and every other thing in between. Keeping up with trends and new features has become ultimately necessary.
If you’ve been very active on social media, you’d have observed many acronyms and slang that will put your brain to the test and take you a while to figure out.
KYS stands for Kill Yourself. It can also have other meanings, such as Know Your Status and Know Your Stuff.
Well, we’ve all been caught in that annoying loop of trying to understand and keep up with a chat in attempting to deduce what exactly a particular acronym means.
Worry no more! This article would help explain the meaning of one of the most popular acronyms used on Instagram – KYS.
What Exactly Does KYS Mean on Instagram?
On Instagram and many other social media, the acronym KYS stands for Kill Yourself. Yes, as simple as that.
Although, it sounds like a “kiss” when pronounced directly. Yet it is an instruction with the same meaning as “die.” As perverse as it may seem, the word originated as a joke among friends, When someone made an ignorant remark online.
Who Came Up With the Acronym KYS?
The origin of the acronym or initialism, KYS, dates back to 2003 on the Urban Dictionary Website. The Urban Dictionary is a crowdsourced online dictionary for slang words and phrases launched in 1999.
Urban Dictionary was intended as a dictionary of slang or cultural words and phrases that are not typically found in standard dictionaries. Now, it has millions of words and phrases with its definitions.
As of 2014, the dictionary had over seven million definitions, with 2000 new entries added daily. By July 2020, the Urban Dictionary had over 12 million definitions.
When Is KYS Used on Instagram?
Teenagers use KYS in text messaging on social media (Instagram) and sometimes use it to taunt or bully people. It is often posted as a humorous rebuke to an ignorant comment. So, KYS is primarily used among teenagers, more with the male gender.
It also comes in whenever there is a lengthy argument or discussion between you and someone else, at a point when you feel the argument is leading nowhere.
It is mainly used as an exclamation to express feelings rather than the meaning it portrays itself – to “die.” It does not mean you go ahead and kick the bucket.
Is It Safe To Use KYS on Instagram?
Knowledge is great, but applying it is better. It is crucial to understand when to use the acronym KYS, how to use it, who to use it with, and the context in which it is used.
As mentioned earlier, it is used predominantly amongst teenagers on Instagram and other social media. Using it with your friends to immediately deduce what you mean is the best option.
Instagram punishes its users for misconduct like hate speeches or symbols, bullying or harassment, and nudity or sexual activity. There’s no particular punishment for attacking your friend with the KYS acronym.
Again, Be sure you’re using it with friends that’ll immediately understand what you mean.
Summary
With hundreds of slang, acronyms, and initialisms used on Instagram and many other social media, understanding their meaning and flowing with the chat couldn’t have been more important nowadays.
This article helps to explain the meaning of one of the most used acronyms on social media – KYS. Its origin, purpose, and usage.
FAQs
In another context, KYS means “Know Your Status.” This is used when specifically talking about someone’s HIV status. This definition is used in YourDictionary.
There are several acronyms for KYS with meanings. The predominantly used ones in business are: “Know Your Stuff” and “Key Size.”
KYS is popularly used in all social media as “Kill Yourself.” Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and TikTok (to name a few) all use this meaning. It is also notably used on Instant Messaging apps like Whatsapp.
Contrary to many beliefs, “KYS” and “Kiss” don’t mean the same thing. Many people only pronounce “KYS” as “Kiss” to create some sort of confusion amongst social media users.
