In “Algospeak: How Social Media is Transforming the Future of Language,” author Adam Aleksic explores how algorithms are reshaping the words we use and the ways in which we communicate.
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Known online as “Etymology Nerd,” the Harvard-educated content creator, who co-founded and led the Harvard Undergraduate Linguistics Society, has been digging into word origins since 2016. He has built a wide audience with his bite-sized educational TikTok videos which explain where trending words come from and how they spread.
The term “algospeak” blends “algorithm” with a concept popularized by tech journalist and fellow book author Taylor Lorenz, describing how creators adapt language to avoid platform restrictions.
“Social media platforms want to promote the most compelling content possible so it makes sense that the words will reach us through maximally compelling mediums, like memes rather than something more serious. ‘Unalive’ is far more likely to spread today than boring traditional alternatives, such as ‘passed away’,” Aleksic writes.
