YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. Of the users between the ages of 14 and 99, almost 50% have under 34 years of age, being the representatives of the two generations – Y and Z.

We do not know how many children under the age of 14 come to YouTube today to complete the user picture, but we have signals that a large part (9-13 years old) is giving up the classic TV in favor of the video platform, in particular, and social media, in general.

All this information is probably known to anyone that does marketing online. But many of them don’t know what’s going on on YouTube, beyond the music videos taken from MTV, who they are, what they create, and what animates billions of people globally every day.

In order to use YouTube correctly, you should know what the following terms mean:

AMA – It’s the abbreviation for Ask Me Anything and not Against Medical Advice. The term is more associated with the Reddit platform, but it also has its place in the vocabulary of youtubers.

ASMR – The abbreviation comes from Autonomous Sensory Meridian, and on YouTube the concept is video clips in which various people make low sounds or whisper. It is said that such clips have a calming effect.

BAE – It’s not a specific YouTube term. It’s like YOLO or FOMO, rather. It’s spread all over the net and appears in the title of many YouTube music tracks. BAE comes from Before Anything Else and is a synonym for everything cool.

Challenge – The term has not lost its original meaning, that of causing a person to do or do something alone that they would not normally do. On YouTube it has a great coverage, from small and insignificant challenges, to some islets and even to stupid or dangerous ones. YouTube changed the terms and conditions following the FOMO Challenge and Bird Box Challenge.

Collab – It comes from collaboration and most often it is a video made in collaboration by two youtubers in order to promote each other. There are also collaborations between youtubers and brands.

Gang – A collaboration between several youtubers gathered in a kind of music group, which produce songs with hip-hop accents.

Dab – It is a gesture that the musicians, youtubers, athletes, who come from the hip-hop culture do. It is considered a sign of victory.

Discord – A very popular application, where gamers communicate with each other during games, sending texts, images, videos, on a system similar to mIRC.

Hype beast – He is the guy who collects expensive clothes and presents them under various combinations in video clips, the ultimate goal being to impress his audience. But there are many hype beasts that don’t “make” YouTube.

Diss track – A musical piece in which the author talks about another youtuber, in order to demonstrate the inferiority of the person, even out of friendship. Some youtubers release videos to more people, with the intention of causing them to make disks.

DM – A slightly more familiar term. It comes from Direct Message and has become popular with the increasing use of dark social platforms (WhatsApp, Messenger, Telegram etc). Today the DM is very popular on Instagram and Snapchat.

Hate – On the Internet, it can be a weird way to show appreciation to someone or a form of aggression below or even beyond the limit of bullying. Often it is just a deflection in the shadow of anonymity.

Haul – A shopping session that ends with a clip showing the purchased products. Sometimes shopping becomes the subject of a thematic guide (tutorial).

Mukbang – The term was born from the combination of two Korean words (“muk-ja” – eat and “bang-song” – broadcast) and is attributed to youtubers who consume food in large quantities in front of the camera for live broadcasts or vlogs.

Giveaway – A contest that usually offers new or desired products to the audience of youtubers, organized in order to increase the number of subscribers on both YouTube and other social networks.

Prank Filmed joke, often with a negative tint, made with the purpose of provoking the reaction of the protagonists and of those who watch the endings. Many jokes are forced or even fake.

So here you have them. The most common terms people use on YouTube, now you’ll understand better 90% of what’s out there.