Social media has given us the opportunity to communicate and observe people from completely different parts of the world. Here we get acquainted with a foreign culture and its characteristics. And among young people it often happens that slang from one language passes into another.
You’ve probably noticed more than once video or image subtitles that start with the mysterious word POV. What does it mean and why do young people use it? Let’s figure it out together with an expert.
Olga Akimova
Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor, Higher School of Business, Moscow State University. MV Lomonosova
“About 15 years ago, a strange abbreviation “IMHO” started appearing in comments and posts. It comes from the English IMHO. Translated: “in my humble opinion”. Today this abbreviation only remains in the memory of those over 30. Younger audiences prefer POV.”
What does POV mean?
POV is an abbreviation for point of view. This abbreviation means a certain angle from which a story or video is presented. Most often, POV is used on social media, where the user shares his or her point of view.
It is often placed at the beginning of a video or meme description to immerse the viewer in the situation, create a sense of presence and make the content more interactive and personal. This helps to better understand the character’s emotions. These days, these videos are particularly appealing to young audiences.
Photo: Imgorthand / istockphoto.com
Origin of the word
The abbreviation POV began to be widely used in English in the 1970s. Initially, the term was widespread in literature. POV is a situation where the story is told in the first person, allowing the reader to see the world through the eyes of the main character. For example, this technique can be seen in Vladimir Nabokov’s novel “Lolita”. The story is told from the perspective of Humbert Humbert. This is point of view.
From literature, the term has come to the film industry. Here, POV refers to a style of shooting in which the scene is shown through the eyes of a character. There are entire films made using this technique. For example, “The Blair Witch Project” (1999). You see everything that happens through the lens of the camera, as if you were in the woods of Maryland.
Later, point of view became a key element in the design of computer games. It completely changed past experiences and the way we interact with the virtual world. In games such as Call of Duty, Doom, Half-Life, a person seems to be in the body of a character. He sees everything through his eyes and the process becomes more realistic.
Photo: gorodenkoff / istockphoto.com
Examples of use
Nowadays, POV is one of the most popular abbreviations in youth slang. It was even localized into Russian and turned into “pov”. Users often create short videos about different life situations with this hashtag.
These videos are called “POVs.” Their goal is to create the effect of participation and evoke an emotional response in the viewer. For example, a video with the title “POV: You’re on a date” tells about the author’s life. It can show awkward pauses and funny moments in communication.
The viewer must imagine themselves in the place of the video author. Nowadays, “POVs” have become a trend. They are filmed in many situations of life to express their opinions.
Gradually, POV became a meme format. These types of videos are common today. Their essence is to show everyday situations in which the viewer sees themselves. For example, this could be stress at school, romantic relationships, or communication failures with parents.
Photo: FG Trade Latin / istockphoto.com
POV is particularly compelling because of its ability to highlight the comedy and irony of those life moments. This makes the content more engaging and memorable for the audience.
People love sharing these videos because they not only make them laugh, but they also create a sense of community. Everyone recognizes themselves or their friends in them. That’s why the “povys” quickly spread across the Internet and became viral content.
Plus, this format allows you to show creativity and originality, coming up with new and unexpected angles on familiar situations.
POV is not just an acronym, but also a reflection of changes in cultural values over generations. Among modern youth, it has become a way to focus attention on oneself without coming into conflict with the environment.
Once upon a time, “in my humble opinion” was used with a certain touch of modesty, emphasizing the subjectivity of the opinion. The abbreviation helped the speaker to abstract himself from the rest of the community.
The case of POV is completely different. It shows how young people, using language, establish a unified context of perception. In this way, they create a common space for life experiences and self-expression.
Let’s look at another youthful word:
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