What it means to be a “Chad,” the term that went viral on social media

In recent times, the social networks have taken on great relevance to the point of creating terms that are then replicated outside the Internet. This happened with the term “Chad”which was born in 2017 and became so viral that it is no longer only used by adults, but even has mutated into politics.

The meme became a trend in the social network Xwhich is used mostly by young people. The truth is that “Chad” began to be used in Chicago, United States, in the 90s to refer to those men who only seek to have casual encounters with women, but the meaning has been changing.

Social media trend: what it means to be a “Chad”

The word has its origin in the North American country, but it began to be used on X -then Twitter- in 2017. The phrase “And this Chad?” derived from the meme “Virgin vs Chad”in which a losing man is compared with a winning and hegemonic man.

Later, the term mutated and is no longer used for comparison, but Chad is used for talk about someone who is a winner or who handles certain situations well.

Although it can also be used in a derogatory way to make fun of another person for some physical or personality characteristic, it can also be used to highlight a man who is athlete, celebrity, politician or anyone who is considered a winner.

Where the term “Chad” is used

Due to the relevance that the word has taken on social networks, in some areas it has already become a concept in different areas. According to The New Yorker“Chad” is popular in internet communities where there are discourses sexist, misogynist and anti-feminist.

It is also used in the community of cryptocurrencieswhere it is used to describe individuals who achieve success in the financial market.

The growth of the concept coincided with that of ultra-conservative and far-right movementswhich is why it is widely used among these young people. Even in Argentinathe president Javier Milei, Santiago Caputothe Minister of Economy, Luis Caputo and the presidential spokesman, Manuel Adornihave been defined as “Chad” by libertarian activists.