One of my readers encouraged me to author a post on “one more diatribe about the modern phenomenon of the usage of the word ‘like’”. My reply, admittedly was a bit snarky:
I “like” your suggestion…. If there were a Like button, I'd click it. ;)
In truth, I do like the suggestion and vigorously agree with the reader’s observation that the overuse of like in communication has expanded well beyond the teenage demographic.
The “Like” Virus
Teenagers use “like” as a crutch word when they are telling stories. This is natural and practically universal. It happened in my day and it’s going on now with my daughters and their wide circle of friends. I’m no expert on the matter, but I suspect part of it is teenagers are still are honing their skills as storytellers and learning the fine art of carrying on a conversation. In both instances, they tend to speak too quickly and with a lot of emotion, so their brains are often playing catch-up. “Like” serves as a convenient filler.
Mercifully, most outgrow it in their early 20s.
At least they used to, but now it seems a majority don’t outgrow it at all and a striking number of adults have caught the “like” virus.
A Social Virus
Is it possible that social media subconsciously contributed to its overuse and abuse? Admittedly, this is likely (sorry, I couldn’t resist) a stretch, but it deserves to be considered.
Social media captured the younger generation’s imagination immediately. As their fascination, passion and excitement grew, adults began to take notice. We worried at first about their time involvement, but once we checked out Facebook, we were hooked.
Teens then worried that their parents. Were parents and their friend’s parents going to stalk them on Facebook? That concern soon abated when adults began reconnecting with childhood, high school and college friends. Mom and Dad didn’t have time to police their teens.
The upside was that adults and teens had something in common; both were ensnared in Facebook mania.
Then came YouTube.
Between these social media apps, Twitter, and mobile phone apps, moms, dads and their teenagers had so many shared “likes” to discuss. Did the younger generation’s enthusiasm infect adults with the “like” virus?
Even if this were true, it doesn’t explain why so many adults now pollute their oral conversations with “like”. It’s rather distracting and annoying. What’s up with this regression?
My Take
I blame it on the Like function in Facebook.
Okay, so clearly I’m at a loss to explain. Does that surprise you? It shouldn’t, I’m a writer. I suggest this is almost exclusively a verbal communications issue. It is best addressed by experts in that field.
Your Take
If you have any suppositions on why “like” is the most overused word in the English language, please share it in the Comment section.
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