system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
Why did the world "like" become so prevalent in our modern, casual English language?

Although it's more popular among pubescents who might not be confident in their speaking, when and how did the word permeate so deep into our conversations?

"I was like..."
"But like, it's like, I don't know!"
gpt
"Winston tastes good like a cigarette should" was the slogan for Winston from the mid 50s thru the 60s. That campaign was largely responsible for 'like' replacing 'as' in the vernacular. 

In the early 80s (possibly sooner), like and other wonderful phrases such as 'duh' became popular among teens in the San Fernando valley (southern California).

Words such as like, um, you know, uh and other fillers actually form an important part of speech as conversation managers.  They indicate you are pausing, perhaps to think of a word, rather than done talking. Of course, using them excessively in speech can be distracting, and probably should be avoided.

These type of words exist in all languages.