In the ever-evolving world of social media, we are viewing a change in the language as well. One of the new words these days is SMH. Let’s see, What does SMH mean?

What does SMH Mean? The Introduction 

We know in this age, we can’t get success in our professional lives without being tech-savvy. One of the aspects of being tech-savvy is getting to know all the details of social media. When I say social media, I am not referring to the marketing aspect. Social media keeps changing itself. One of the things that changed a lot in the past few years is the language. informal words, Slang language, and acronyms are a big part of chats on social media. 

If you are active on social media, you may have read a caption, comment, or message that says SMH. This phrase is enough to knock you off your game if you aren’t familiar with the details. At first instance, it sounds like an acronym describing an organization.

But if we go into detail, we’ll know those three letters aren’t randomly put together for entertainment purposes. There is a story and purpose behind SMH being popular across social media. Thus, People keep asking, what SMH means in social media.

What does SMH Mean?

SMH meaning is ‘shake my head’. It is an expression of showing disappointment or disapproval. This phrase is the ideal replacement for the physical gesture of shaking your head with ‘no movement.’ The term SMH is famous across all social media platforms and also has the same meaning. So, what does SMH stand for has the same meaning on all apps. 

The Origin

The origin of the phrase on the internet dates back to the early 2000s when messaging platforms and chatrooms were popular. Back in those days, people were searching for ways to convey their message in the shortest time. Thus, came the acronym SMH. 

What does SMH Mean? The Uses

Learning the meaning of a Slang word isn’t enough to be familiar with the social media world. You will need to know the context as well. Without getting the correct context, you may use SMH in the wrong scenario. Thus, we present different uses that will explain what is SMH in chat.

Showing Disbelief

There are a few moments in life when you hear news that doesn’t relate to your emotions but has a disbelief factor. At this moment, you want to confirm the news again due to the shock factor. At that exact moment, your emotions are confused and you don’t believe the news is correct. Now imagine if you get the same news in a text message. This situation gets more critical in the text since the other person can’t see your expressions.

The message sender is unaware of your emotions or expressions. Now, you need to say something in the text to share your emotions. Assume your friend who studies all night fails the final exam. This shocking moment requires confirmation so you can use the phrase SMH in the following way. 

Example: Andrew failed the test after studying all night, SMH. 

Showing Frustration

Sometimes, there are a few people around us who deny a well-established fact. A few years ago during the pandemic, more than a few people kept denying the existence of the Covid-19 virus. In this situation, you can’t help but feel frustrated or annoyed. In a face-to-face conversation, your expressions are enough to convey the message. But during social media chats, it is hard to say everything. People don’t have the time to read lengthy messages. In this situation, you need to know, “What does SMH mean”. Use the following example to express your frustration. 

Example: People still don’t believe in global warming, SMH. 

Showing Criticism

There may be a scenario when your colleague or classmate does something weird and unexpected. Maybe they lied on their resume or cheated on the final papers. This is a tricky situation, and you don’t want to sound judgemental. Thus, you act carefully to show your expressions. It is a lot easier to show your expressions in the text message or social media in this situation. You can use the following example. 

Example: He lied on his resume to get a job, SMH. 

How to Reply to an SMH message?

Now that we have covered the different aspects and contexts of SMH slang, our job here is done! If that’s your thought, take a step back and think again. What happens when you are receiving SMH slang on social media and now have to send a reply? Without two-way conversation, you can’t be the best at chats on social media. 

The first step requires you to understand the context of the message. We know there are different ways to use SMH on social media. Without the context, we may end up sending a flip response. 

• Your friend may be in disbelief upon hearing that their favorite store is closing this weekend. When you get the SMH message, it means that the friend is in disbelief and is sharing their emotions. The best response in this situation is to show empathy. Understand your friend’s feelings and they will feel a lot of relief. 
• A second scenario that you may come across is a frustrated text from a friend. You may get a text that a friend has failed the exam despite studying hard. Offer your support in this situation. Send them a motivating message. They will know you understand their situation and the context of the message. 
• We may get a third situation where a person is critical of a situation and sends you a message sharing their emotions. The situation is straightforward as it doesn’t emotionally connect with your friend using SMH. Use humor to divert your friend’s attention from the case in point.

FAQs

Following are a few common questions about SMH. 

1- What does SMH mean?

SMH means Shaking my head. 

2- What is the purpose of SMH?

SMH is an alternative to the physical emotion of shaking your head in disbelief or frustration. 

3- When did SMH Slang originate?

The origin of Slang SMH dates back to early 2000s from the chat room culture. 

Final Thoughts

Now we understand that SMH is more than a combination of a few letters. There is a whole story and emotion behind this phrase. After understanding its uses and meaning, we can improve our social media conversation skills.