How much has social media changed the way we talk and behave?
That鈥檚 the question linguist and content creator Adam Aleksic sets out to answer in his debut book 鈥淎lgospeak.鈥
like 鈥測eet,鈥 鈥渞izz,鈥 鈥渂rainrot鈥 or 鈥渂lackpilled鈥 mean, some of this information might not come as a surprise to you. Still, Aleksic鈥檚 analysis reaffirms how this language came about and why it continues to proliferate. For those unfamiliar, it acts as an accessible entry point into social media slang and its evolution.
鈥淎lgospeak鈥 touches on a wide array of topics, including in-groups and out-groups, censorship, language appropriation, extremism online, microtrends, clickbait and generational divides. The chapters build on each other with a textbook-level attention to vocabulary.
This book serves as a sobering reality check on how social media is affecting not just our speech, but our entire identities.
鈥淪ocial media creates new identities in order to commodify them,鈥 Aleksic writes in a chapter about microtrends and micro-labels. 鈥淵our decisions are now curated for you under the guise of personalization, while in reality they鈥檙e engineered to make platforms as much money as possible.鈥
As a self-proclaimed 鈥渆tymology nerd,鈥 Aleksic leans heavily into his experience as a content creator, providing a crash course into social media history and how to game the ever-changing and opaque 鈥渁lgorithm.鈥 His tone is academic, yet approachable, and he鈥檚 bold but pragmatic in his assertions, exploring counterarguments sufficiently.
He identifies the transient nature of language and the algorithm immediately, since the cultural references in 鈥淎lgospeak鈥 risk expiring quickly as trends change and social media platforms shift 鈥 but that鈥檚 the point.
鈥溾楾he algorithm鈥 is here to stay. This is why I think it鈥檚 absolutely worth talking about even the most fleeting words,鈥 Aleksic writes.
Aleksic鈥檚 writing feels personable and knowledgeable as he translates his online presence offline, and in doing so, demonstrates his own claims about parasocial relationships and owning one鈥檚 audience. Keeping up with the algorithmic cycle is portrayed as exhausting, but as a necessary evil for influencers supporting their livelihoods through social media.
“Algospeak” is a fascinating blend of etymology, psychology, cultural analysis and first-person perspective. The book acts as both a snapshot of our current, social media-imbued society and as an intellectual foundation for language developments to come.
Aleksic leaves his reader with questions about the threats and opportunities that stem from social media developments, but undeniably one principle is true: social media has breached containment and is influencing not only the way we talk, but the way we live.
鈥淎lgorithms are the culprits, influencers are the accomplices, language is the weapon, and you, dear reader, are the victim,鈥 he writes.
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