Erin
The world of the internet is a fast paced, dynamic world. Real-time conversations happen across the globe, and communication occurs at light speed. So, it is not a surprise that while texting, chatting, and emailing, people have found ways to shorten words and phrases to make things faster.
For this reason, acronyms of certain commonly used sentences and phases were created in chatrooms and online business meetings. These new acronyms were created for easy, quick, but still understandable conversations. BFF is one such acronym, and is considered one of the most popular social media and text shorthand. If you aren’t up to date on this popular acronym, Social Buddy is here to clear things up.
The Meaning of BFF
BFF stands for Best Friends Forever. In simple words, this is used to represent two people who are each others’ best friends, with a bond shared between these two people that will last a lifetime. This phase can also be used to describe a close friendship, characterized by permanence and trust.
Origin of BFF
This acronym was created to express a positive relationship between two people or between a group of friends. It was used by adolescent teens, especially by young girls to express their friendship. As the word became more popular, people in their 20s, 30s, 40s and on have adopted the use of BFF, whether sarcastically or seriously.
Even though the term “best friend” or the concept of having a strong and undying bond between friends is quite old, the acronym BFF originated in the year 1996. Later on, this acronym was added to the New Oxford American Dictionary in 2010. While BFF was first used as instant messaging shorthand, the phrase is now commonly used in real life conversations.
Popularity of BFF
Social media platforms like Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram have definitely helped to keep this acronym popular, thanks to their character limit that favors using acronyms. BFF is also commonly used in hashtags, filters on Snapchat and Instagram, and stickers across different social media.
There are many podcasts, Youtube videos, TV series, and other popular media where the word BFF has been used. Some people attribute its common use to the the hit sitcom Friends, which first popularized the word in the world of entertainment/pop culture. It was mentioned by the character Phoebe Buffay in 25th episode from season 3, which aired in the year 1997.
How To Use BFF
BFF can be used both in lowercase and uppercase, depending on your preference or style of texting. It is important to mention that you should not use dots or periods between each word like B.F.F. Adding punctuation isn’t technically incorrect, but it definitely will not serve the purpose of speeding up of chatting online.
