Inspired by none other than Facebook, German photographer Nicolas Ritter created a photo series to depict the popular – and somewhat bizarre – terminology the website has made popular.

‘The pictures are metaphorical photographic illustrations that should give a humorous view on the social network language,’ Ritter says. ‘I’m not trying to make a critical statement, but to make the viewer reflect on the weird modern online parallel world.’

He says phrases like ‘defriending,’ ‘liking’ and ‘tagging’ have become everyday terms online, but sound strange when used in the offline world. Over 30 volunteers assisted him with the photoshoots.

Ritter created the images as part of his graduation project for the Offenbach University of Art and Design in Germany.