I can't say I ever heard a person call it soda until I was 21 or so. Now it gives me flashbacks of an entire family of idiots who would walk around asking things like 'Where's my sody pop?' and often each of them consumed two 2 liters a day of mountain dew. Each glass or bottle they guarded like it was liquid gold. Since moving to NC all I hear is Soda when we go out to eat.
I'm not a pop drinker or a soda drinker, I skip the stuff entirely. If I want caffeine I can take a jet alert or drink some unsweetened tea.