What does ASL mean on Instagram?

Have you ever received DMs from prospective employers asking you for ASL on Instagram? Maybe you have expressed interest in buying a product, and the Instagram handle sent you an automated message asking you to enter your ASL. And you were left confused!

Don’t worry. Online social platforms, especially Instagram, are full of the newest slang words and acronyms. These are trendy and replace the original words or phrases.

So, let’s start understanding what ASL means on Instagram without further ado!

What does ASL mean on Instagram?

On Instagram, the most common meaning of the ASL term is Age/Sex/Location.

It’s one of the trending slang terms on Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Snapchat, and other social platforms where people might be inquiring about your Age, Sex, and Location.

It is classified as an initialism abbreviation. 

Usually used in chats, this is when someone wants to know your personal information. It could mostly be someone you didn’t know before or just got introduced to.

For example, it could be someone you just connected with on Instagram and have started talking to. To get to know you, that person could inquire about your ASL. 

Another chance is to opt for an online job that you came across on someone’s Instagram story. As soon as you apply, you get an automated DM asking about your ASL.

However, be careful before revealing your ASL on social platforms or messenger chats. If you give up your ASL to an unknown person online, it could be misused.

ASL has been used for a long time in private and public chatrooms before Instagram even existed. It was meant to get the relevant information about the other person in the chatroom to explore the kind of chat that would start: a cheeky, playful banter, dating talk, or something more serious and private.

Jamal: Hi Anna! Nice to connect with you on Instagram!

Anna: Hi Jamal! Pleasure is mine! May I know your ASL?

Jamal: Definitely! 22/M/Denver.

Uses of ASL on Instagram

The common uses of ASL on Instagram are usually found in DMs or Group Chats. When someone starts the chat by asking about your ASL, it means they want to start chatting and wish to know about you first.

These are the common uses of ASL on Instagram.

Identification: It could be someone you have been following on Instagram for a while, and now you want to find the real person and comment in ASL. It could also be an unknown person talking to you in Group Chat or responding to your comment threads on a post, and now you wish to know about that person.

Connection: You have been finding someone dropping heart emojis on all your Instagram posts lately. So you can drop in their DMs and comment in ASL to strike up a conversation.

Humor: As a millennial or Gen Z, you could make fun of how chatrooms of the 1990s tried being cool and making new friends. So, ASL could be an inside joke, or you and your friends could just drop it for the LOLs when someone new is introduced to your group!

Why is ASL not safe for children/teens/kids on Instagram?

If your teenage child or kid has been excessively using ASL on Instagram or any other social media platform like TikTok or Snapchat, it could become problematic. Cyber criminals have infiltrated social media. 

So, if your kids keep sharing their personal information by answering to someone’s ASL slang, that info could potentially land in the hands of cyber predators. Hence, your children’s lives would be at risk. So you should educate your children about ASL slang and its interpretation and importance to prevent them from misusing it or getting manipulated by it.

Other meanings

The origin of ASL has been vastly different from the present slang term and its usage. 

ASL originated in the 1800s and meant American Sign Language. This was developed by a certain Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet who was inspired by his neighbor’s deaf daughter and wanted to create a mode of communication for her. 

Till date, ASL has been used on digital platforms to mean American Sign Language.

Another meaning of the ASL slang on Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat is “As Hell!”

This is sometimes used in direct chats, and sometimes in hashtags in video descriptions.

Examples:

“My niece knows ASL and can communicate to special-needs people!”

“Woke up famished ASL!”

“This food is spicy ASL!”

#cringeASLcomic