E-Lafda

About

E-Lafda is a Hindi slang term used in Indian internet circles. It is best translated to e-drama or internet drama. The phrase is used to refer to petty arguments and squabbles that occur and gain notoriety on the internet. The term first became popularized in the year 2020 on Twitter, Reddit and YouTube.

Origin

The term "lafda" in Hindi typically translates to squabble, argument, or a general suspicious happening.^[1] Some early uses of the term can be found on Reddit,^[2] YouTube^[3] and Twitter.^[4] However, the earliest known meme to use the term was posted by Instagram^[5] page @epic_top_comments_india, gathering over 2,000 likes in three years (seen below).

The meme compared "lafdas" or squabbles "then" versus "now," with older squabbles being depicted as Cheems saying "Come meet outside Bunty's house bro there's beef," and modern squabbles being described as Cheems saying "Come to the timeline with 4-5 friends bro I'm beefing with Bunty."

Spread

In June 2020, various tweets discussed "e-lafdas," including Twitter^[6] user @abbushrek on June 5th, 2020 (seen below, left). On June 23rd, 2020, Twitter^[7] user @sexiananoit posted a tweet that gathered 50 likes (seen below, right).

On March 23rd, 2021, Instagram^[8] page @intellectualmimix posted a meme using the word "e-lafda" and gathered over 6,000 likes in two years (seen below, left). On May 10th, 2021, Instagram^[9] page @69.flix posted a meme using the word as well, gathering over 1,300 likes in two years (seen below, right).

In February 2022, the Twitter^[10] page "GemsOfE-Lafda" began posting screenshots of internet squabbles, gathering 17,000 followers by April 2023.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References