FTW

I remember going through the various youtube videos on the Kanye West dissing Taylor Swift event, and in particular, almost all the comments made by viewers were in favor of Swift, this surely in consideration of Swift's wholesome image and West's obnoxious behavior.

Many of the comments went along the lines of:

"Taylor, you're the best! I will support you always! Taylor, FTW!"

"Kanye's an a**hole. But Taylor you rock rock girl! FTW!"

"Taylor girl, FTW!"

This is quite obviously, a random zoomed-in selection of comments left by numerous viewers. It was the last bit that I found curious. Why was there a need for "FTW"? And in the first place, what did it even mean?

Also,

A webpage showing puzzling use of "FTW":

As with a number of other internet creations, this initialism was particularly curious.

Some searches yielded the following:

Wiktionary

FTW

1. (Internet slang) For the win.

2. Fuck the world: an antisocial slogan.

3. (slang) Forever two wheels: a biker slogan.

For the win

1. (Internet, slang) Of something which completes a process in a successful manner or is of the speaker's personal preference; abbreviated as FTW.

(Sports Announcer) "He lines up the shot... and he makes it-- FOR THE WIN!"

(Speaker one) "Did anyone see the concert last Thursday?"

(Speaker two) "Rammstein ftw!" [meaning the speaker preferred Rammstein]

Urban Dictionary

FTW

"For The Win."

An enthusiastic emphasis to the end of a comment, message, or post. Sometimes genuine, but often sarcastic.

Originated from the game show Hollywood Squares where the result of the player's response is expected to win the game.

Bob: Your cheap t-shirt rocks
Sally: Cheap t-shirts ftw.

Also here is a short article on the origins and use of the phrase.

It appears that "FTW" has it's roots not just in internet culture, but having a throwback to earlier periods where rebellious biker gangs in the US would use it to indicate some form of support for an anarchic society. Thus "FTW" meant "F*** The World". This sort of negative, rancid view of society, was thankfully lost as such biker gangs probably didn't have too much of a reach. As Urban Dictionary has given us the etymology of the current sense, we now see that it "FTW" has been ameliorated to have positive connotations such as "being supportive", "aiming for victory", "forward-looking", "hopeful to win".

It is interesting to note how the internet has given this phrase a new lease of life such that the initialism becomes polysemous. Though both senses are still in used by varying communities, it is the more current sense that seems to have taken the (online) world by storm.

Here's an example of how even kids are using the phrase/initialism:

Personally, this phrase is still very distant from my own vocabulary. Since most of those who use it would do so in online gaming, I don't see myself using it since other existing options are available. From a linguist's point of view, though such internet creations are interesting, sometimes, too many inventions are just a feeble excuse for not knowing existing terms.

There should be a balance between being too quick to accept so many inventions without consideration of their long-term sustainability, and to go through proper lexicographic methods and apply such principles to determine if such linguistic creations are worthwhile and have staying power. (of course, the folks at UrbanDict and Wiktionary probably run on a different grade of engine oil).

After all, isn't it a fact of life that there will be early adopters? So let these new creations come into being, and if possible, bud and bloom according to their own natural course. If people use it, then it catches on, then it should be codified.