The Word Squad: Influenced By Pop Culture

Language in all parts of the world change over time, due to new eras and generations. The word “squad” has been changed and influenced by pop culture. According to Merriam-Webster, squad is “a part of a police force that deals with specific type of crime” or “a small organized group of military personnel; especially: a tactical unit that can be easily directed in the field.” The origin of the word “squad” is from the 1640’s and is Middle French, from Old Spanish and Old Italian. Squad has changed through time from a formal meaning of a group to an informal meaning.

Squad is the Latin word for square. It was first used in that context before automatic weapons became popular, and soldiers would use square formation (Etymology). The military

would use squad to represent a small group of soldiers, sometimes a unit in a special field such as a bomb squad. The article Technology Tomorrow by Stew Magnuson, talks about bomb squads needing the best technology to defend, “Bomb squads – both military and civilian – deserve and need the very best technologies the nation can offer them.” Squad is still used in daily life formally to explain military. This squad is a unit that protects our country.
Squad was later extended to sports language in 1902, and then police work in 1905 (Etymology). Squad could also be used in sports such as a football squad or basketball squad. As sports and police work changed and grew through time, so did the terminology and meaning of squad. A squad of soldiers was later derived into a small group of players, police, and later friends.
Squad today is now used less formal than how it was used back then.

Although squad is still used in the military and police fields, it is now more used in younger generations. People today use squad to explain a close group of friends, family, or even a mix of both. A close group of 5 friends can be considered a “squad.” In the show So You Think You Can Dance, the street team would call themselves “squad.” The meaning of squad today is still connected to the meaning back then, pop culture today has just influenced the word and created a meaning more suitable for the newer generations. Squad also started to be used in comics, such as the antihero team, “Suicide

Squad.”
People today started using the term “squad goals” or “#squadgoals.” “Squad goals” is a term used for a group of people that you would like your group of friends to be like.

Many people today say that Taylor Swift’s group of friends would be considered “squad goals.” People would use that hashtag to tag a friend on a picture they see of people and they want to be like. Squad and squad goals are growing on social media and in pop culture by teens, adults, and celebrities to self-identify.

In recent history, the use of “squad” started in hip-hop. Waka Flocka, an American rapper, released a song in 2013 called “Everything Bricksquad” (Jenkins). He is also signed with record label, 1017 Brick Squad Records, founded in 2007. The rise of the word “squad” in pop culture today is actually from hip-hop music. In the early 90’s, there were also hip-hop artists, Hit Squad and Def Squad (Jenkins). Through time, language and slang get mainlined by pop culture at

large.
In pop culture today, brands tap into the phenomenon of “squad goals.” According to the article, What PRs and marketers can learn from celebrity ‘squads, public relations and marketers harness the power of social media and digital influence. Brands use celebrities to amplify their message and goals (Marketing Week). Mikaela Gilbert-Lurie, a journalist, defines squad goals as “an aspirational term for what you’d like your group of friends to be or accomplish” (Marketing Week). Squad goals has been used to describe Justin Bieber’s campaign for his new song “What Do You Mean”, Taylor Swift’s hot new crew, and Jennifer Lawrence Hampton vacation (Marketing Week). Not only is squad being used as a new slang word but has been incorporated with daily life.
Language is growing and changing over time to fit in with pop culture. Squad was once used just to describe a group of soldiers. It was then transformed and taken into daily life to describe informal groups that have a bond or a sense of solidarity. It was also used to start a new trend called squad goals. As generations change, so does language and slang. Squad is a Latin word for square, and has now been derived into something different. Squad is still used in formal context to explain a bomb squad or a squad of policemen, but is now also used in a younger generation. Squad is used in a positive context and has not changed our perspective on the word, but in a different sense. Squad was once used only in formal context and now used in both an formal and informal way.