About

Ts (This) refers to the slang term "TS," which is an abbreviation for "this shit" or "that shit." However, many internet users mistakenly believed that TS was short for "this" after the abbreviation was used en masse on TikTok, Twitter / X and Instagram in late 2024 and early 2025. The repeated misuse of TS as "this" sparked backlash, discourse and memes, predominantly aimed at white and other non-Black internet users who failed to properly co-opt the AAVE slang. In turn, ironic usage of TS as "this" surfaced on social media, evident in memes that added "this" in parentheses, like "ts (this)," to satirically emphasize the wrong use and subvert the purpose of abbreviations by using more letters and typing. TS is most commonly written in all lowercase ("ts") or with the T capitalized ("Ts").

Origin

On July 24th, 2024, TikToker^[1] @textmyslatt posted a photo that used the Emo Kid Clutching Gun meme format, adding a caption that read, "Me when I see someone use 'ts' as 'this,'" gaining over 13,000 likes in six months (shown below). Currently, the post is the first known meme to address the misuse of "ts" as "this."

Spread

In the following months, the misuse of "ts" as "this" continued across social media, generating posts making fun of the phenomenon. For instance, on August 25th, 2024, X^[7] user @boofinglord tweeted, "'ts' ≠ 'this,'" gaining over 61,000 likes in five months (shown below).

On December 3rd, TikToker^[2] @hatchbak shared a video with a caption reading, "Watching users trying to say 'ts' means 'this' and y'all would still rather die than admit that TikTokers take AAVE and bastardize it," amassing over 422,000 plays and 64,200 likes in a month (shown below).

On December 13th, 2024, TikToker^[3] Vexbolts posted a video of him singing, "I Will Always Serve You," with a caption reading, "Is ts (this) a new audio?" His video received over 4.6 million plays and 287,500 likes in a month (shown below).

On December 23rd, X^[4] user @soujixxx tweeted, "Why are ppl using 'ts' as 'this' are u ppl now forgetting what 'ts' originally stands for?" gaining over 229,000 likes in 18 days (shown below).

Memes and viral posts about the misuse of TS surfaced en masse in the following weeks. For instance, many Chopped Chin memes ironically misused TS, like a Reel posted by Instagram^[5] user @choppedchinfan on January 4th, 2025, which read, "Ts (this) meme is dead," receiving over 17,100 likes in six days (screenshot shown below).

On January 9th, X^[6] user @sillyclown190 tweeted that TS meant "Chopped Chin Crashout," receiving over 3,500 likes in a day (shown below).

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References