Acronyms are used constantly, in the office, via text, and in AOL chatrooms circa 1998. They prove to be elusive, useful [at times], and always entertaining. The following are my all time favorites.
1. Necessity and workplace acronyms increase efficiency in the daily grind. One could say he's an MD at Merrill or get me that ASAP. FYI, TBD, and CEO are other commonplace terms thrown around like a placebo birth control pill. I prefer even quicker abbreviations, like she's a JS, or a Jewish slave [probably working in the office mailroom]. However, in this case, the acronym cannot be used in direct contact with the subject. This isn't the winter Olympics, and the JS wants someone to pay attention to her, not just to be referred to as a paper pushing Israelite who doesn't matter.
2. More useful acronyms like AIDS or SCUBA have always existed as well, representing a larger chain of words that people generally can't remember, since it's extremely difficult to remember four or more words at once. This is why predictive text and T9 have been invented and that phones are reached by numbers and not words. Regardless, one of my favorite childhood acronyms, especially to use on instant messenger, was DYGTTMTODYJSH, which stood for "did you go to the mall today or did you just stay home?" It was a catchphrase I wanted to say constantly but couldn't remember all the words to, but the acronym served as a lifesaver! Thank God for the ABC's and the Jackson Five.
3. Sex and relationships have also many times used acronyms to simplify a situation or take the place of uneasy words that the acronym user doesn't want to fully express. Girls are often OTP [on the prowl], DTR [forcing men to determine the relationship], or more desperately, DTF, in which case they'll engulf anyone who comes their way. These terms typically are uttered via text, the great wide web of the world, or even in person. However, if you're in a room with someone who tells you they're DTF, they probably have an STD, a DUI, or they're just a classic JAWDA.