# Trigger Trigger, also known as Triggered, started as a clinical PTSD term before migrating to feminist LiveJournal communities in the late 1990s and early 2000s as a content-warning label. By the mid-2010s the word had been co-opted into ironic internet slang mocking perceived overreaction, spawning one of the defining online shorthands for outrage culture. ## Origin The word 'trigger' as a psychological term predates the internet by decades, with the concept formalized around 1918 in work on what later became post-traumatic stress disorder[7]. The internet-specific usage, 'trigger warning,' traces to late-1990s feminist message boards where survivors of sexual assault asked for heads-up labels on discussions of rape and abuse[1]. BuzzFeed News documented that early thread history in its 2014 retrospective on how the warning spread online[1]. The earliest archived LiveJournal use flagged by researchers is a July 9, 2002 post by user 'innocent' in the add-me community, where the author warned followers she was pro-anorexia and that her entries might be 'triggering' to readers with eating disorders[8]. A year later, on July 1, 2003, LiveJournal user morbid-thoughts posted a quiz titled 'What Type of Self-Mutilation Are You?' with a parenthetical '(Warning: Triggering Pictures)'[9]. From there the convention spread through LiveJournal fanfiction and self-injury communities before migrating to Tumblr and Twitter[1][5]. - **Platform:** LiveJournal (early use) / Tumblr and 4chan (viral spread) - **Creator:** Unknown - **Date:** 2002 ## Overview Trigger, also known as Triggered, is a word with two parallel lives online. In its clinical sense it names a stimulus that pulls a person back into the memory of a traumatic event, a usage rooted in PTSD research[1]. In its internet sense it travels under the label 'trigger warning,' a short tag placed at the top of a post or email to flag content that might upset readers with specific histories[2]. As the term crossed from support communities into feminist blogging and then into general social-media use, its meaning stretched. Critics argued the warnings were being applied so broadly that almost any post qualified, which was the complaint Susannah Breslin leveled at Feministing in 2010[3]. Feministing writer Maya Dusenbery in 2012 openly admitted she did not fully believe in trigger warnings even as she used them, citing Roxane Gay's point that 'everything is a trigger for someone'[4]. That tension, sincere care on one side, perceived overreach on the other, is what let the word become meme fodder. By the mid-2010s 'triggered' had been reappropriated by detractors as an ironic reaction word, deployed any time someone appeared to be reacting out of proportion to a trivial prompt[5]. The joke format relied on performed over-sensitivity, often capitalized ('TRIGGERED'), and worked equally well as a one-word reply, a reaction image, or a sarcastic header on a board like 4chan's /pol/[5]. Urban Dictionary entries from the period captured both the earnest community use ('a strong emotional reaction set off by a set of words or image that reminds a person of a traumatic event') and the mocking one ('a word used often by idiots on Tumblr to justify their bitchy attitudes')[6]. ## How to Use The sincere version of the format is simple: the words 'Trigger Warning' or 'TW' sit at the top of a post, followed by the sensitive topic, so readers can decide whether to keep scrolling. The ironic version flips the convention. People use 'triggered' as a one-word reaction to any mildly contentious statement, often in all caps, often with a reaction image of a person visibly fuming. On image boards the joke often involves slapping a 'Trigger Warning' banner over content that is obviously fine, or the opposite, obviously extreme, as a way of mocking the convention itself[5]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Trigger? Trigger, also known as Triggered, is a term for any stimulus that evokes the memory of a traumatic event, which online got reused as a content warning and then as ironic slang mocking perceived overreaction[5]. ### Where did Trigger come from? The clinical concept came out of early PTSD research around 1918, and the internet form 'trigger warning' first appeared on late-1990s feminist message boards discussing sexual assault[1]. ### What does Trigger mean? In the earnest sense it names a word or image that sets off a strong emotional reaction tied to past trauma; in the ironic sense it mocks someone who seems to be overreacting[6]. ### How do you use Trigger? Sincere users place 'Trigger Warning' or 'TW' at the top of a post describing the sensitive topic; ironic users reply with 'triggered' or 'TRIGGERED' as a one-word reaction to mild disagreement[5]. ### Is Trigger still popular? The word is a classic piece of online vocabulary, with both the sincere content-warning use and the ironic 'triggered' reply still in regular rotation on social media[5]. ### Who first used 'trigger warning' on LiveJournal? The earliest archived LiveJournal use is a July 9, 2002 post by user 'innocent' warning that her pro-anorexia content might trigger readers with eating disorders[8]. ### Why did Trigger become controversial? Writers like Susannah Breslin in 2010 argued the warnings were being slapped on everything, and even Feministing's Maya Dusenbery said in 2012 that the practice felt arbitrary[3][4]. ### What was the Melody Hensley story? In April 2014 Center for Inquiry organizer Melody Hensley said Twitter harassment had given her PTSD, a claim covered by the Daily Mail that drew pushback from military veterans[11]. ### How did 4chan use the term? In December 2014 the /pol/ board added a scrolling '[Trigger Warning]' banner as a sarcastic blanket disclaimer that every post on the board was offensive[5]. ### Does Trigger appear in Homestuck? Yes, the character Kankri Vantas uses trigger warnings constantly, and author Andrew Hussie confirmed in a 2012 tweet that the habit was inspired by Tumblr[13]. ## References 1. [https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/alisonvingiano/how-the-trigger-warning-took-over-the-internet]() 2. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trauma_trigger]() 3. [https://web.archive.org/web/20101130164709/http://trueslant.com/susannahbreslin/2010/04/13/trigger-warning-this-blog-post-may-freak-you-the-f-out/]() 4. [https://feministing.com/2012/08/29/the-wednesday-weigh-in-trigger-warning-edition/]() 5. [https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/trigger]() 6. [https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Trigger]() 7. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posttraumatic_stress_disorder]() 8. [https://add-me.livejournal.com/216139.html?thread=804683]() 9. [https://morbid-thoughts.livejournal.com/5153.html]() 10. [https://fuckyeahtriggerwarnings.tumblr.com/]() 11. [https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2605888/Woman-claims-PTSD-Twitter-cyberstalking-says-bit-war-veterans.html]() 12. [https://www.dailydot.com/irl/elevatorgate-storify-feminist-harassment/]() 13. [https://twitter.com/andrewhussie/status/241726718921015297]() 14. [https://www.michiganreview.com/do-the-left-thing/]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/trigger Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library