Gen Z is no stranger to scorning the grammar gods, and their slang expressions are continuous proof of that. Take “It’s giving,” for instance––an incomplete sentence that still carries significant weight in the online community. From complimenting friends’ outfits to mocking celebrities online, “it’s giving” is a phrase used for myriad reasons (see the explainer here.) But before “it’s giving” became a load-bearing slang for TikTokers, the phrase “sending me” was there first–and it’s still used across the internet today.
Across online spaces like Twitter and TikTok, you’ll find comments from users claiming a post or a photo is “sending them.” The expression has nothing to do with someone literally being sent somewhere. Instead, it measures the level of humor or amusement the user is experiencing. In other words, if someone finds a meme or a post extremely absurd or hilarious, they may say “this is sending me.”
When the phrase first became popular, many used it in its complete iteration: “This is sending me into orbit,” implying something was so funny it “sent” you into another dimension or was so extreme it “sent” you outside the planet. The phrase can be compared to the millennial’s “I can’t even,” where the wielder implies something is making them laugh so hard, it’s “sending them” into uncontrollable laughter.
What’s interesting about the expression is that there is no official confirmation of where the phrase originated, but its use began to pick up in the late 2010s. Slowly replacing phrases like “I’m screaming,” or “I literally can’t,” “It’s sending me” became the go-to comment for when you find something funny.
However, while most netizens use the slang phrase when they find something extremely funny, like most slang, it has since evolved over time. Now, “sending me” can be used to convey frustration, surprise, or annoyance.
There are several ways you can use “this is sending me” both online and IRL. If a friend sends you a funny TikTok, you can reply “this is sending me,” or even use the past-tense “this sent me.” Find a certain celebrity’s actions goofy? Snap a pic and share it with the caption “this sent me.” Your cat strikes a funny pose? His expression is most definitely “sending you.”
Now you can pack up the emotional crutch that is “I’m dead,” or––God forbid––the obsolete “lmao” and use your new Gen Z-approved phrase “it’s sending me” for when you’re dying of laughter.
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