This study examines the morphological, syntactic, and pragmalinguistic functions of hashtags, acronyms, and initialisms in the seventh series of Netflix’s The Circle. Drawing on transcribed episodes, it explores how contestants, authentic and ‘catfish’ personas, deploy these forms to construct or disrupt projected identities in a computer-mediated environment. Morphologically, concatenation was most frequent (e.g., #YesImThatBitch; #BlessedAndGrateful), reflecting platform limits and rhetorical memorability. Syntactically, integrated hashtags outnumbered parenthetical ones, showing their contribution to propositional meaning rather than serving as evaluative asides. Acronyms and initialisms (e.g., IYKYK; NPC; HBIC) acted as socially indexical markers, signaling stance, in-group identity, and authenticity cues. Pragmatically, mismatches between repertoire and persona led to pragmatic leakage (Androutsopoulos 2014), exposing underlying identities and threatening front-stage performance (Goffman 1959). The findings highlight the interplay of morphological creativity, syntax, and pragmatics in shaping identity performance and the importance of mastering emerging slang to navigate shifting linguistic landscapes and generational discourse norms in digitally mediated communication.