Old or young, everyone is using social media nowadays. All kinds of people use social media nowadays, regardless of their age or gender. For most, it is a novel way to pass some time. For others, it is a primary way of interacting with friends and loved ones. Due to its widespread use, it is not uncommon to find new slang and terms on it regularly. Some people seem to not know about these slang, despite them being used all over social media. One such term that seems to confuse people is the acronym “P.S.”
In this article, we will go through what the term means, how it’s used as well as its origins.
What does “PS” mean on Instagram?
The abbreviation PS stands for “Postscript”. It is often used at the end of any text body. It can be used at the end of captions on posts, text on stories and even text messages. You may be wondering whether you should use “PS” or “P.S.” to write postscripts. The answer is that both of these formats are correct. Depending on your writing style and your audience, you can use either. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the usage of PS without periods is recommended for British Engline and should be used with periods for American English.
PS Meaning on Instagram
People use “P.S.” at the end of any text. This is usually done to add some afterthought, a reminder, a joke or additional information at the end of a text body. This has the benefit of being easily noticeable, since most people focus at the starting or the beginning of any paragraph. Being at the end ensures that it does not get missed.
What Does it mean when someone says “P.S. on Instagram”
People usually use PS on Instagram in order to add something they might have forgotten to add to the original body of text. They might also do it in order to get their audiences attention on something specific.
How Do you Reply to “PS”
PS is rarely used in conversations. It is usually used as an afterthought at the end of a text body. If someone uses PS in a conversation, they might be trying to add a reminder or a joke. You can acknowledge it and react to it accordingly if the situation calls for it.
Origins of PS
Unlike most other slangs that see widespread use on social media, PS actually has its roots in Latin and has been around for far longer than social media has. PS stands for Postscript, which comes from the Latin word Postscript, meaning “written after”.
Back in the day, letter writing and telegrams were the primary way of communication. Letters usually follow a particular format and are handwritten or typewritten, making it rather difficult to edit them. This could be a problem when the author had forgotten to write about something and had remembered it at the end of the letter. In order to address this, they could use a P.S. to add any after thought they may have had at the end of the letter instead of rewriting it.
There is another version of P.S. that is P.P.S, which stands for Post Post Script, often used to add something frivolous at the end of a Postscript in order to intensify its meaning or in case there is something additional that the author may want to mention.
Alternative meanings of PS
Due to its short nature, the acronym PS can be used for other terms as well. Depending on the context and how it is used, it may have various other meanings. We will cover these terms below.
- PS- Photoshop: referring to the popular photo editing software or the act of modifying a picture in it.
- PS- Pen Spinning: A popular hobby mostly amongst students.
- PS- Playstation: Referring to the popular gaming console.
- PS- Pointless Shit: Something mundane and pointless.
- PS- Phone Sex
How to use PS on Instagram
- (At the end of a thread of stories) P.S.- I am having a sale right now. Click the link in my bio.
- (At the end of a caption) PS- You can tell me your honest opinions on my post in the comments.
- I am thinking about getting a PS for my birthday.
- That photo does not look real. It was probably PS’ed.
- (used at the end of a romantic message) P.S. – I love you.
FAQs
PS on social media stands for Postscript.
PS in a letter stands for Postscript.
PS on chat stands for Postscript.
PS in email stands for Post Script.
Post Scriptum is Latin for “Something that has been written later” or “Something that has been appended.”