TL;DR

An abbreviation for 'in real life' used to distinguish between things that happen on the internet and stuff that happen offline.

WTF is IRL?

IRL is internet slang for everything that happens away off the internet. It comes from the early internet chat room days where people's online and offline personas were typically separated. It was shorthand for mode switching between online and offline.

It is commonly used in relation to:

  • Calling out online personas – Claims that someone's online persona – such as a picture perfect Instagram grid – doesn't live up to their actual life.
  • Events – When events are happening in person.
  • Meeting up – When people who have only known each other online are going to meet face-to-face.

Me IRL meme

'Me IRL' is a meme where people post an ironic or cringeworthy image humorously suggesting the image's subject-matter represents the poster's actual life, often in a self-deprecating or relatable way.

Further reading

What is IRL? | Brandwatch Social Media Glossary
IRL stands for ‘In Real Life,’ distinguishing online interactions from real-world experiences. Find out how this term affects social media dynamics.
BrandwatchFlor Liondi

Disclosure

AI use

Some parts of the text were drawn from or inspired by text generated using AI the following prompt:

{ Explain In real life (IRL) for a non-tech savvy audience. Describe what it is, its common usages, a short history. Also provide examples where relevant. }

AI tools used: Google Gemini and GhatGPT.

No text was incorporated verbatim. All text in this resource was included at the author's discretion.

Provenance

This resource was produced by Elliott Bledsoe. It was first published on 1 May 2024. This is version 1.0.

Changelog

v 1.0 – 1 May 2024
First version of the listing published.