Meaning
What does RT mean?
RT is a widespread internet acronym, with multiple meanings, depending on the context of its use.
The most common significance of “RT” today is “retweet” referring to the practice of sharing someone’s tweet in one’s on timeline, while tagging the original poster.
This is used as a disclaimer for plagiarism on the social media site.
Alternatively, “RT” may refer to phrases such as “right”, “real talk” or in some cases, “response time”.
“RT” is also a television network, funded by the Russian government.
Origin
What's the origin of RT?
It is not known, when the abbreviation first emerged, however it may be placed in the broad timespan between the late 1990’s and early 2000’s, when most internet acronyms were created.
“RT” was first defined on Urban Dictionary in 2003, defined as “real talk”.
Since then, a large amount of entries has been uploaded to the site, with varying definitions.
Spread & Usage
How did RT spread?
The television channel, Russia Today (now known as RT) was launched in 2005, giving a new popular use to the acronym.
Twitter was founded a year later, in 2006 and the retweet function was added to the site soon after, setting the scene for the current no1. meaning of “RT”.
