In this particular case, the ratio would be telling you that for every ten candy bars you have, you also have twenty pieces of candy. This might be deliberate – if someone asks a question, lots of replies might be expected.
What does a “W” or “L” ratio mean online?
The ability to express one’s self to the world can bring about societal change, but it can also help one find like-minded people, job opportunities, romantic partners, and more. Have you ever seen a bunch of people replying “ratio” to a tweet and not known what it means? The millennial generation uses internet slang words to communicate. Its words aren’t localized, so they’re used by anyone who can catch the spirit of the conversation.
Download the app
This includes other traditional social media apps like Facebook and Instagram as well as content-sharing platforms like TikTok and YouTube. On YouTube, ratios are commonly seen in the comments sections of videos. The discrepancy in likes between the two tweets is a symptom of the larger “ratio” meaning, which is an acknowledgment that the original tweet is receiving more replies than it is likes and retweets. A lot of times, “ratio” is commented under problematic tweets because it’s acknowledging that more users are calling out the tweet than liking and retweeting it. It’s used in fights, too, where people will end a fight by saying “ratio” (via How To Geek). If they’re successful, there’s no way the other person can continue the fight because they’ve already won by securing more likes.
- Ratios exist on basically every social networking site with likes, comments, and a counter that displays the number of likes and comments.
- The first definition on Urban Dictionary was created in September of 2020.
- Currently, this tweet has over 52,000 replies and just around 6,400 likes.
- The Urban Dictionary definition is much more specific, referring specifically to the number of replies a tweet has received compared to likes or retweets.
Online banking app goes down with users unable to access accounts
The ratios have become a part of online culture, and have spread like wildfire across the web. The term has even reached the pages of the Urban Dictionary, which is a source of the definition. If the tweet is set to public, spotting a ratioed post becomes a slice of cake.
After a couple of minutes—not even reaching its first hour—Scarry’s comments get flak from thousands of users. The total ratio of the post eventually turned out higher than the numbers seen in the photo. But by simply looking at the numbers, clearly, the attention the post is getting isn’t something to be lax about. To ratio someone is to go against the original post by replying to the original tweet and getting your reply more likes than the original. If a user successfully ratios someone with their reply to that particular post, this implies that the original tweet’s content is seen as less agreeable than the reply’s. Some call Twitter an echo chamber and hold disdain for it, and others find community within the social media platform.
This is particularly true for internet slang, which tends to change more rapidly than other aspects of language, especially with slang developed and standardized by the modern and younger generation. So if your tweet gets ratioed, regardless if it occurred naturally or it happened to be targeted, that means your post is receiving large-scale, negative attention. In this article, we will explain what the term ratio refers to on Twitter, what happens when you get ratioed, examples of Twitter users getting ratioed, and how you can avoid getting ratioed. If you’re on social media, especially Twitter, you’ve probably seen the term “ratioed” flying around. People have been tweeting the word without so much as an explanation.
On social media, “ratio” refers to the number of replies or comments as compared to likes. A post being referred to as “ratioed” means that it has more replies than likes and is likely divisive, unpopular, or generally controversial. Users who get ratioed are those whose tweets receive more replies than likes or retweets. For example, this can happen when a user posts something controversial, and their followers respond with disagreement or criticism. To spot a ratio, look for a tweet with significantly more replies than likes or retweets.
The term “ratio” was likely coined around 2017, although its exact origin is unknown. However, one of the big reasons it took off was an article from Esquire discussing the importance of “The Ratio” on Twitter. The article discussed the response of United Airlines to a passenger being pulled from one of their flights.
You may have seen the term “ratioed” on social media, but what exactly does it mean? This popular slang word describes a post that has more comments or replies than likes or retweets, which is usually a sign that other users disagree with the content. In this article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about “getting ratioed,” including the origin of the term, what a “W” or “L ratio” means, and why people request ratios on TikTok.
However, there are ways to avoid getting ratioed, such as avoiding posting content that will provoke adverse reactions from your followers. And once you start seeing the word “ratio” in your tweet’s reply section, deleting the tweet is practically the only way to put a pause on it (not like your other posts are any safe). When someone replies with “ratio” under a tweet, that means there is an intent to ratio the post.
This modern definition is narrower and reflects how the term is used on the app, where a high number of replies can become a negative thing. On the contrary, Twitter’s version of the word is not the same as the mathematical term we’ve come to learn in school. While it does have similarities in its essence, the term ratio, when taken in Twitter’s context, can mean a totally negative thing, far different from the mathematical term’s neutral definition.
Truth be told, even if you’re a responsible netizen on the platform, it can still be a tough place to share opinions regarding hot topics. So regardless of the intentions behind a tweet, you just have to be prepared for views that will differ. And that means different backgrounds, personalities, beliefs, and opinions. This is why it’s difficult to expect discussions to always remain on the same page with other users. And this can be due to a number of reasons, such as if the tweet is controversial, if it’s insensitive, or if it’s just been posted at the wrong time.
Tweets that have significantly more replies in the comments sections, compared to their likes and retweets, are ‘ratioed’ posts. Pre-2016, the platform used chronology in displaying tweets according to what users would find relevant. That’s why it’s not surprising that the Urban Dictionary definition of ‘ratio’ differs from traditional dictionary definitions. The Urban Dictionary definition is much more specific, referring specifically to the number of replies a tweet has received compared to likes or retweets.
Their comments are met with widespread dislike, which translates to the ratio. Some ratios may have replies that are about the same number as the likes, which implies that reception is mixed. However, in other cases, replies can outnumber likes by a wide margin, which shows that a post is wildly unpopular.
Other common slang terms include bgd, which stands for background. “bird-of-mouth” refers to the use of Twitter to spread news and information among users. You can also experiment with different types of content to see what resonates best with your audience. While Twitter is a great way to connect with friends and family, it can also be a place where users can get ratioed. Let’s look at examples of a few of the most popular real-life ratios on Twitter.
A post about Brooklyn barbecues – New York’s way of cooking pork – was one of the most ratioed tweets of 2018 (and continues to garner replies even now). Since then, ratios have become a part of online culture and are widely understood on Twitter. They became even more prominent in 2020 when celebrity fans known as “stans” adopted the phrase. The first definition on Urban Dictionary was created in September of 2020. Trolls, who create posts that are deliberately meant to anger people, are often ratioed.
That means that marketers need to be aware of the evolving language of the youth. In fandoms, people often use “It’s a tweep” to refer to another person. Similarly, “Be my guest” is a popular hashtag for guest blogging exchanges.