Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language

by Adam Aleksic

From linguist Adam Aleksic, known as @etymologynerd on social media, comes a captivating exploration of how internet algorithms are transforming language and communication in unprecedented ways.

“Packed with fascinating facts, of-the-moment observations, and a sparkling voice, Algospeak is a gift to any word nerd. Deftly covering everything from emoji etymologies and trendbait to Taylor Swift fanilects… Adam Aleksic is the wise, yet accessible internet linguistics oracle we need.” —Amanda Montell, author of The Age of Magical Overthinking and Cultish

From “brainrot” memes and incel slang to the trend of adding “-core” to different influencer aesthetics, the internet has ushered in an unprecedented linguistic upheaval. We’re entering an entirely new era of etymology, heralded by the invisible forces driving social media algorithms. Thankfully, Algospeak is here to explain. As a professional linguist, Adam Aleksic understands the gravity of language and the way we use it: he knows the ways it has morphed and changed, how it reflects society, and how, in its everyday usage, we carry centuries of human history on our tongues. As a social media influencer, Aleksic is also intimately familiar with the internet’s reach and how social media impacts the way we engage with one another. New slang emerges and goes viral overnight. Accents are shaped or erased on YouTube. Grammatical rules, loopholes, and patterns surface and transform language as we know it. Our interactions, social norms, and habits—both online and in person—shift into something completely different.

As Aleksic uses original surveys, data, and internet archival research to usher us through this new linguistic landscape, he also illuminates how communication is changing in both familiar and unexpected ways. From our use of emojis to sentence structure to the ways younger generations talk about sex and death (see unalive in English and desvivirse in Spanish), we are in a brand-new world, one shaped by algorithms and technology. Algospeak is an energetic, astonishing journey into language, the internet, and what this intersection means for all of us.

Genres: Nonfiction, Linguistics, Language, Technology, Audiobook, Science, Sociology

256 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 2025

About the author

Adam Aleksic is a linguist and content creator best known for creating videos as the “Etymology Nerd” to an audience of over three million.

Reviews

[Trin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was genuinely excited to read this book: I'm fascinated by linguistics and in particular the evolution of language -- and as someone who has observed how the internet has affected my own speech, I was eager to read an expert analysis of these trends.

But by the end of the first chapter, I was like, "uh oh," and by the end of the second, I was full-on hatereading.

I'm so sorry, but this book is bad. Aleksic spends more time talking about which of his videos trended and why than analyzing language; this is closer to being a book about how to be an influencer -- a title Aleksic wears with pride -- than a thoughtful book on etymology. Aleksic relies on the same examples over and over (gyat, The Rizzler, skibidi) without really explaining them or only tracing their origins beyond the most surface level. At one point, he says that the word "delulu" came from Kpop fandom, which, okay, sure -- but show me? Any evidence? Or analysis? At all?

The book is also filled with insane out-of-pocket statements like:

The modern-day incel is entirely an invention of the twenty-first century. Before the internet, lonely men simply didn't have a way to gather and share ideas.

It's true, no gathering places for lonely men existed before the twenty-first century and groups of men never spurred each other to misogyny or violence.

When everybody was walking around in togas and tunics, there was no need to distinguish goths and punks, but now ... fashion and social media have created more options

Fashion was indeed created in 1985 and no one in the Roman Empire had to worry about Goths.

Most of us would rather read Harry Potter than Ulysses because the former is more accessible. The difference is that while a Harry Potter-type miniseries could be possible to replicate on social media, Ulysses would never have succeeded on TikTok.

Shit, James Joyce must be rolling in his grave to hear that. Also, for the record, I'd rather brand myself with a hot iron than read HP in 2025.

Aleksic is just so bafflingly wrong about so many things (I won't claim that no one has ever said "gave cunt" but I'm pretty sure the more common phrase is "serve cunt"; "brainrot" doesn't refer to slang use but to a whole series of negative, empty-brained content or behaviors) that it's hard to trust him on the rare occasions he starts to say something interesting, such as the page or so in the last chapter about how ASL has evolved for social media. And sadly, those nuggets of interest are few and far between.

The final chapter of the book is called, "Are We Cooked?" Aleksic says no -- and I agree, insofar as I also think our language is a constantly evolving thing, and that its ability to change is both necessary and beautiful. But I worry about the human ability to think and analyze in a world increasingly dominated by social media, algorithms, and AI -- and this book did not help.

[r ꨄ︎]

dude i love this guy

(edit: i feel like there's something to be said etymologically about me using dude and guy in a sentence with five total words...something something i have brainrot something something)

(edit: oh my god why did he see this um hey…)

[Chloe Frizzle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had high expectations for this book (being a fan of the author's videos). It exceeded my expectations. It's an in depth analysis of not just recent slang, but the algorithmic pressures that spawned it.

The author really shines in the long format of a book. He takes his time to explore each topic, ruminating in depth. I'm excited for whatever Big project he tackles next.

Thanks to Netgalley and Knopf for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Emily D · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected a deep dive into language and I got a high level overview of social media and the language it produces. Just wasn't quite what I expected and the subject matter didn't go deep enough to impress.

[ALMITVS · Rating 1 out of 5]

First off, "Algospeak" is hardly about linguistics, and its author is not a linguist, professional or otherwise. At best, the content in this piece falls under sociolinguistics, but in reality it is no more than the kind of cultural commentary drivel you would find in a flimsy op-ed published by one of the main newspapers (the author, in fact, has been known to write such op-eds). While the content concerns language, it hardly goes further than words entering the lexicon. One would expect an influencer on a self-proclaimed crusade to make linguistics fun again would act with care regarding terminology, but I supposed you can do anything with puffed-up Harvard credentials, even if linguistics was only his minor, not even a major. At heart, the author is an influencer, and his book is little more than a collection of anecdotes loosely strung together about being an influencer. I grew tired hearing about the travails of influencer life -- for which I have not a modicum of sympathy. While an attempt is made at a sociolinguistic exploration of the internet, the result is merely a few quirky and poorly explained references to the once-trending memes of yesteryear. I expected at the very least to be enlightened on the origins of terms such as sigma, but Aleksic eschews elucidating the origins of most of his examples, or does so poorly. In fact, he has an agenda and is less than charitable with certain terms and communities discussed. One would be better off spending a few minutes on Know Your Meme than reading this book. His descriptions of linguistic processes and algorithms are shallow and boring. You can tell an influencer wrote this book because the sentences are simple and repetitive, and the paragraphs are short and sweet. Frankly, I am surprised this got past the editor, because the book is choppy and poorly organized. I would give it 0/5 stars if I could.

[Sunny Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 interesting enough

[Mariiie]

so excited for this one, hope it doesnt disappoint

[Aislin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is exactly at the intersection of my interests (linguistics, language change, the internet, pop culture, etc.) so I’m not surprised that I really liked it! I did think that at times the topics wandered a little too much, some chapters were less linguistic focused, but overall all the chapters were engaging. This will also be a fun time capsule of internet slang as it exists right now. Recommend if you want an accessible book about language topics (if you liked things like Wordslut and Because Internet).
Thanks to NetGalley for this arc!

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an intriguing title that came in my recommended ARCs so decided to give "Algospeak" a read. This is one of many nonfiction works being published in the midst of the subject matter that it covers, so I was curious to see what areas would be covered.

In a nutshell, this work is a recounting of different pockets of digital content and social media mostly in the last 5-10 years and the ways that different terms, sentences and phrases, and modes of communication have dramatically changed in that time. Author Adam Aleksic covers a broad range of subject areas, including the different platforms (Youtube, Instagram, Tiktok), different events and influencers, and the evolution of specific terms and words that are now a part of our common rhetoric. I also appreciated Aleksic's own personal experience as a creator trying to promote himself across different social media platforms, especially the "shadowbanning" he experienced when trying to traverse into sensitive subject areas (intentionally or unintentionally) and his attempts to stay on top of the ever-changing algorithm.

For me personally, this wasn't a read I found particularly intriguing or applicable. As someone in my early 30s who is trying to pare back my social media exposure, I found a number of topics and terms ones I was already familiar about and didn't really want to know more details of - like influencer feuds, for example. I would have appreciated more focus on how language changed over extended periods of time versus just such a narrow window that I myself had firsthand experience of. This may be a more applicable read for an older audience who is trying to grasp the communication and ever-changing language of a younger, digital audience but wasn't one that I found significantly informative.

Thank you Knopf for the advance copy of this book!

[James Blume · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really did not care for this book (listened to on audible as read by the author). While the topic of social media and algorithm shaping our language is interesting, the author has very little of interest to say on it, especially if you’re young and are already familiar with online slang.

[elise george · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not just a study on the future of language, but really a deep dive on the psychology behind social media itself (and specifically TikTok), this book is fascinating. It incorporates just the right amount of linguistic data, historical context, and funny TikTok slang.

The author has a great writing voice; his personality is as evident as his wealth of knowledge on these topics. I found this reading experience to be very engaging which isn’t always true of nonfiction books, even when I’m interested in the content.

I learned so much in this fairly short book that I’m not even sure how to summarize it. The writing is efficient by necessity, but there were many topics touched upon that were so interesting I would have loved to go even deeper (I would read an entire book about the Taylor Swift effect on social media behavior and in real life). I also found one section to be fascinating on how ASL is being impacted by social media. The transformation of language and behavior in our digital era is an emerging conversation that is quickly becoming relevant to absolutely everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book to read and review.

[j.c.]

y’all I’m legit SO excited for this one. if I had money it would be pre-ordered lol

[Dr. K · Rating 4 out of 5]

in my linguistics era

[Trey Lusk · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most disappointed i have ever been with a book

I picked it up because it couldn't have been a more interesting topic, but this book was amateurish and a real pain to read.

Barely squeaking in above 200 pages its very clear that the author was padding for space, in any given chapter he would repeate his examples 6-7 times and would have entire filler paragraphs  retracing ideas he had already covered multiple times. Each new line felt like he had forgotten what he said in the last.

He would introduce linguistic terms just to sound smart but then he would barely elaborate making it clear that it wasn't meant to educate the reader but to prove himself as an "expert" 

Lots of hypocrisy in the book i suspect as an effort to support his world views. He went on and on about how there isnt a "correct" way of speaking and how enforcing one is elitist, and in the next breath lambast somebody for misusing or misapportiating a different one. For example, he raised his noise at institutions in Spain and France trying to standardize the language while in the same chapter appealing to the authority of an ASL governing body. 

He took too much for granted and did little of the groundwork to establish his claims. He said hedidn'tt want to police speech and also made it clear that he felt speech could belong to people/communities and it was a moral issue to follow these unwritten rules. 

If you took all the interesting insights and filtered out all the rest, it could have easily fit in a YouTube video essay or perhaps an 8 part series of "short form videos."

Do yourself a favor, watch his tiktoks, and save yourself the money on the book

[sun · Rating 2 out of 5]

so confusing to me that a book all about linguistics written by ETYMOLOGY NERD of all people was poorly researched to the point of outright falsehood (and about things that don’t really matter! and are a single google search away! just look up what 애교 means it’s not that hard!). as a dumb layperson somehow there was still no new knowledge here for me INCLUDING the occasional interesting bits other ppl have already mentioned like asl users adapting signs to fit on phone screens. i already knew 100% of what was in the book bar personal details like the reddit anecdotes (jesus christ if i wanted that i’d just talk to my brother). i was excited for this release but adam unfortunately has no idea how to craft a story or gauge the depth/breadth of study required to make an unfamiliar topic engaging in long-form educational content, and i think at least one of those is probably necessary for halfway decent nonfiction. whatever

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Algospeak is a must read for anyone who is chronically online, a fan of languages, or is desperately trying to understand Gen Alpha brain rot. A master of hooking in his audience, Adam Aleksic writes this debut book as if books had been his platform of choice for his whole career. The book is informative, funny, and utterly addicting! His analysis of how alogrithms have influenced language (and how they in turn have influenced us) will shift the way you consume social media, resulting in you paying more attention to the ways we "borrow" language from different groups (notably the Black and LGBT+ communities) and redefine ourselves based on evermore specific classifications (from cottage-core to dark academia) to help feed the metadata loop. Most surprisingly is the way Aleksic is able to connect our seemingly "new age" online brain rot to trends and phenomena that have spanned human history.

A five star read, through and through.

Thank you to Net Galley for this advance copy.

[akacya ❦]

2025 reads: 241/300

in this novel, viral linguist adam aleksic (@etymologynerd on social media) discusses how social media is shaping society’s language. linguistics is one of my biggest and most long-term interests, and i love adam’s videos, so i was highly anticipating this book ever since its announcement! i loved how this book didn’t shy away from the fact that language is political, from words used by incels to words that have been appropriated from AAE, to the point of many people not knowing the word’s origins. we also learn how this social-media driven language shifting can even shape our identities, like how many people have developed “-core” (e.g., cottagecore) styles. i had such a great time reading this book, especially since it’s narrated by the author himself! i highly recommend this to others with an interest in linguistics.

[iris ᵕ̈ ia]

yay happy publication day!!

[Kelsey Ellis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh. This was one of those books that should have been a more focused long-form article. I would've liked it WAY more. Not only did it meander (sometimes endlessly), but it was often self-promotional and just entirely off topic. Like, I didn't pick up this book to learn how to craft a compelling TikTok video or Instagram caption...

I understand that there is a connection between influencers' algorithm-driven content and the way we now speak offline, but do we really need ~100 pages about what exactly makes a good TikTok video? There were moments where it seemed like he hyper-fixated on one topic that had only a tenuous relationship to the overall purpose of the book, and, unfortunately, he dragged the reader along with him in this exploration of his corners of his influencer-content-creator-brain.

Somewhat of an aside, but... I'm curious about how he wrote this entire book about the evolution of language from ~2012-2025 and onward without once mentioning Covid? Obviously the focus was on social media, but didn't we all end up WAY more online in 2020? That seemed like a huge miss.

The only reason I finished the book at all was because there were a handful of fascinating nuggets of information buried in what I can only assume was editorial fluff. If they publish a second edition of this book, I wish they'd change the subtitle to something more apt, like: "How algorithms influence influencers and influencers influence language" (someone else can wordsmith it for me).

[Joe Kessler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been out of academia for almost a decade now, but back when I was working as a sociolinguist, I studied how people use language on the internet and how traditional emblems of group identity in speech can manifest in similar or different ways online. This new pop science book is thus firmly in my wheelhouse, although its author Adam Aleksic is of a younger generational cohort than me -- he mentions being in middle school in the 2010s, when I was already a grad student -- and he comes at the topic not as a fellow researcher per se, but rather as a former undergrad major who's spun his interest in the field into a new career as a social media personality. I don't even have a TikTok account, whereas he's amassed over 750,000 followers on there by commentating on emerging language trends and the domain of linguistics more broadly.

That biography is important, because it ends up shaping a lot of what he has to share with us within these pages. This is a book about language, yes, and how new forms are spreading thanks to the communities that arise naturally on algorithmic apps, but it often feels more like a self-aggrandizing how-to guide on becoming an effective influencer within that space. Do we really need to parse which specific videos from the writer garnered the most views, or hear about how he used to be one of Reddit's top-rated posters? I'm sure there's a market for that, but it's not a subject I'm especially interested in or would have expected to find in this sort of volume. (I also give a side-eye to anyone who claims to be chronically online in the year 2025 and yet writes cheerfully of Harry Potter without ever acknowledging how its creator's status as a transphobic extremist has led many former fans like myself to boycott her works. Or has that honestly not made it into his particular filtered bubble?)

The content that stays more on-topic is fine. It's a wide-ranging sampler text, containing some things I already knew, a lot that I didn't, and nothing that pinged my sense from my existing expertise as probably being incorrect, which is exactly the balance that I look for in a title like this. I appreciate the descriptivist stress that there's no wrong way to use language, and I found the discussion of how words like "unalive" (which are coined to get around platform censorship rules) in some ways mirror offline euphemisms (like "deceased" originating as a Latin word for departure) to be a particularly helpful framing. I do wish the writing were more disciplined throughout, and that Aleksic cited actual published studies from professional linguists instead of just his own observations and conversations with peers, but I can't say I haven't learned anything from it.

[Content warning for racism.]

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[Joey Z · Rating 4 out of 5]

No because it’s giving no cap fr fr

Aleksic asks: “chat are we cooked?” You might say, “it’s over,” thus spoke Chud-athrustra! But, Chat, we are NOT cooked. In fact, we’re cooking, we’re thriving, we are moisturized, we’re in our own lane, we’re living our best life.

Brainrot? You fools—that’s a mereological fallacy by way of metonymy about the brain being invoked for your thinking. Lie down and rot bc you got blackpilled about language. Bruh, how tf you gonna say “words bad 😡” 💀💀💀💀 skill issue. My sibling in Christ, you’re SAYING the quiet part loud.

A real hustler stays grinding. I’m on my wordmaxxing grindset, mewing up a storm. I got predator eyes, and you got predator droned by words. How you gonna get unalived by words?

So while I may be a lowbie, Aleksic barely touches TTTT-brainrot and how the extremely online highbie dolls are filling the semantic gaps to the point where the context collapse becomes a bacchanalian revel. “Gock,” for instance, “passoid yungshit,” if you will. “Turbo-normie-cel stealth butch-maxxing boymoding girltwink,” even.

The way incel-speak from board culture starts serving UwU-attitudes from tumblrinas when a real repper starts estrogen-maxxing could turn any doomer to a bloomer >>>>>>>>>>

So, it’s giving Reddit moment on his part 🤭💅

Lowkey, only real embarrassing moment is him saying “foid” is a portmanteau of “female” and “android.” No cap, he’s a summerfriend, perhaps even a newfriend, and barely touched the neo-eugenic scientific racist dimension of that term stemming from “-oid” being borrowed from old categories of races as borrowed from /his/, /pol/, and /r9k/

Highkey, while I think he might be filtered, I don’t think he deserves to be ratio’d. I still think he ate. So I don’t think he skibidi’d till he toilets, but he stuck out his gyat and still got facecarded. CRINGE

Frege once asked if Julius Caesar was a prime number, but it was his Roman Empire. The way sense is giving reference???? But here’s mine:

A real sigma knows that language is the existence of spirit. I’m so semantics-pilled and pragmatics-maxxing to the point where you wordcels aren’t even capable of wordcucking me. Every linguistic community got the cuck-stool. Sit downnnnnnnnnnn 🪑

Wordcels destroyed. I’m concept-mogging and idea-maxxing. I’m shape-rotating my way to the threshold of the event, rippling across the surface without depth. I rizz em with the ‘tism, while you millennial-pause your way to thinking 🤔 like the thots you are. We are NOT the same. Thank you for coming 🫣 to my tedtalk

[connie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alright, I didn't enjoy this one. Having read EtymologyNerd's substack blog, which suffers from many of the same issues as the book, I can't say I had particularly high *expectations* but I did have hopes for this book.

First of all, if you want to read a book that's actually about LANGUAGE on the internet, and not social media algorithms, I recommend "Because Internet" by Gretchen McCulloch. "Algospeak" has very little information on linguistics for a book with 'language' in the title.

This is NOT well written, it feels more like a half-assed high school essay than a published book. The author will write, write, write on some topic off the top of his head (I'm assuming) and then halfway through the chapter he'll remember he has to add references, because this is an educational book! So we get statements with no background information or references followed by quotes from random semi-related news articles. The topic of the internet's impact on language is interesting and complex but this book approaches it VERY vaguely. In the first chapter, it's established that influencers will use trending words to get boosted by the algorithms. Got that. But why does this information need to be repeated in every chapter? Adam Aleksić describes his process of making videos (which I do enjoy) in great detail here (which is actually one of the stronger parts of the book) and clearly he understands social media well but that does not translate into being able to write longer texts.

Also, I'm not sure who the target audience here was. On one hand, there are explanations on relatively basic concepts, which is not a bad thing if you're trying to make the book approachable to older or less social media savvy people. But then we get niche internet slang casually dropped out of nowhere, with no definition or explanation. I should not have to google the meaning of online slang terms while reading a book about online slang. (not to mention that when explanations ARE given, they're sometimes wrong, that's NOT what 'aegyo' means, and 'foid' is a clipping of 'female humanoid' not 'android'. maybe i'm nitpicking but this is a book about words like these, you would expect it to get basic info right) And that's with me being young and online a lot. I don't know what someone unfamiliar with internet trends is supposed to gather from Skibidi Toilet being made into a movie when you've never explained what Skibidi Toilet is or what is its significance.

As for redeeming qualities, I did learn a few new things (especially from the 'It's giving appropriation' chapter) and the author does make some valid and interesting points.

TL;DR: lazy, inconsistent writing and more about social media than language

[Jibraun · Rating 3 out of 5]

Algospeak is a short nonfiction book purportedly about how social media is transforming language, including how language has evolved online to dodge algorithmic censors and government censors. Written by Adam Aleksic, a college student studying linguistics, whose youth very much shines through in his writing, beliefs, and assumptions. Aleksic is not only a student of linguistics, but has turned that into an influencer business, in which he talks about linguistics via short-form video content (read: TikTok influencer).

Throughout the book, Aleksic scatters interesting tidbits about how the English language evolved in the past, including the derivation of the word "cool" and "OK." He also discusses how modern influencers and users of social media (primarily TikTok) have had to use varied language to dodge algorithmic censorship, including using the word "unalive." I found these portions to be insightful and interesting, primarily because I am too old to have TikTok or even enjoy any short-form content (seriously, YouTube shorts and IG reels hurt my brain and make me angry). So, for me, it brought insight to things that have been going on in the chronically online world because I, apparently, do not qualify as chronically online (which scares me considering how much time I spend online, meaning others are spending way more than that).

Then the book veers into discussing how influencers gain traction and views. While this portion of the book has a point, i.e. how influencer developed language is filtering into the real world, it largely turned into a "how-to" manual on driving traffic via short-form content videos. Again, as someone who does not consume short form content, I found this to be interesting if not drawn out. I understand why he drew it out -- because otherwise the book would've been too short to be a book. But he took something that could've been 25 pages and drags it out for about a 100 pages, going through example after example of what influencers do to drive engagement. None of it is surprising, i.e., talking fast, women talking like Valley Girls, ragebaiting to drive comments and traffic, etc., but I found it to be insightful coming from someone who makes a living from this world.

Where the book falls flat is simple. There isn't enough here to be a book. I'm guessing he pitched this idea to an agent, and it was immediately picked up by a Big Five publisher because of this guy's built-in "platform" from TikTok. And so, he could market his book directly to his TikTok followers. Well, that's a good business idea but not necessarily a good book.

The book also falls flat because Aleksic is just very young. I'm not trying to be grumpy old man, but a good number of the assumptions and conclusions he draws in the book are clearly coming from someone with not enough world experience. For instance, at the beginning of the book, he discusses how the Seattle Pop Museum received angry feedback from museum goers when one of the signs stated Cobain "un-alived" himself thirty years prior. Aleksic, again young and chronically online, assumed museum goers were upset because they were seeing online speak filter into the real world. But his young age makes him miss a grander point. Most of the museum goers were probably not chronically online and not in his age cohort, so they have never seen "unalive" ever used. And so, they considered the word usage an affront and minimization of what Cobain did, commit suicide. This possibility does not seem to have crossed the author's mind because he can't fathom that. There are other examples of this throughout the book, but it is the most cogent because it appears in the first few pages.

Also, his assumptions and conclusions seemed thinly sourced, leading me to wonder if all of his stated facts were actually correct. Given that publishers don't fact check, it led me questioning the veracity of everything stated.

I'd recommend this for a millennial or older who wants to learn about how young people are online -- and also if you want to feel old for 220 pages.

3 stars.

[chandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

this wasn’t bad but idk if i’m feeling like i learned a lot. like i was thinking “okay, im with you” the whole time but at no point was i like “Oh! interesting!” yk? like there was no climax

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

(4.5/5)
This felt almost as prescient as it did reflective, a nonfic balance I love & am hard pressed to find. While admittedly a lil heavy on the 𝘈𝘭𝘨𝘰 & lighter on the 𝘚𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬, we’re interacting w a plethora of algos on the daily, so it makes sense they take up so much air time…I was just a bit surprised. Not pleasantly or unpleasantly, just surprised 🤷🏼‍♀️

I learned an unbelievable amount & am more aware of my words than ever—a blessing & a curse 🫠 I 𝘸𝘢𝘴 left more disheartened than hopeful, but that’s a product of the environment—not the book. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵𝘴 & 𝘸𝘦’𝘳𝘦 👀 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 💩𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘮.
But when we know better, we can do better—and I truly do feel (a bit) better already. 𝘈𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘯𝘶𝘴: 𝘈𝘥𝘢𝘮 𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺—𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘐 𝘴𝘢𝘸 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘢𝘺𝘴.
My mind was blown so often that I gave up on commenting about each instance in my buddy read w my friend Kaitlyn (@reading.for.three ) I’ve read plenty of NF on linguistics, but 𝘼𝙡𝙜𝙤𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠 delves deeper into the process of linguistic change than I’ve experienced before. Anything else I’ve read didn’t touch on what we’re dealing w at present—algos.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the breadth of slang taken from AAVE (African American Vernacular English). It reaches further than I knew—& I prided myself on my knowledge of linguistics for a layman, 🍞’s unoriginality is not news to me.

I highly recommend for anyone annoyed w “the slang these days” &/or what algos are doing to socials. Opt for 📖 over 🎧 for this one.

Tysm to AAKnopf for the #gifted copy! ❣️

[Claire Winter · Rating 2 out of 5]

the analysis is very shallow, relying mostly on observational commentary that almost anyone remotely plugged in to social media will find obvious, and there is not much here that’s original.

i think the marketing is misleading, there is much more focus on how algorithms work and the tools content creators and platforms use more than a truly etymological approach to culture. This is also not an academic text, the majority of statements the author makes are generalized and poorly researched.

unfortunately this suffers from the very pitfalls it somewhat admits to, this feels as if it was written by a content creator first and an etymologist second.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

*An ARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

I've been following this Etymology Nerd for a while now, so when I saw this shiny little number on NetGalley, naturally, I had to have it. As someone nominally interested in linguistics myself, I figured this would be a perfect summer non-fiction read; written in an accessible manner yet chockfull of information about where in the fresh hell we get all this internet slang from.

And folks, it delivered. I read this chapter-by-chapter as my "air travel" book (if you travel a lot, you know what I'm talking about) and I loved it. It was easy to follow and understand as someone without a formal background in linguistics and etymology, but still a thorough and fascinating deep dive into how and why the internet and social media has an effect on our language and the way we use language in the first place. Non-fiction can often be dry or lead to the occasional nod of mid-chapter when a necessary "lore dump" occurs, but this book did not have any such issues. I was invested from beginning to end. Highly recommend for anyone interested in linguistics, pop culture, or just looking for a breezy summer read that will also teach you something.

In case you're reading this review, Adam, I would love a sequel on fandom lingo. Just saying. (Like, why do most of our words come from nautical terms? I have questions.)

[Hana · Rating 3 out of 5]

[3.5 stars]

i found a lot of aspects of this really good! i do have an interest in linguistics and am also a child of the 2000s so automatically well versed in social media - this was a really cool insight into their intersection! i loved the discussions of AAE and generational tribalism especially

however i found it a little too self-serving and there were some parts i just fundamentally disagreed with - there were just some small statements that were said with certainty that seemed more like opinion / misinformed perception to me

i found it very interesting to read! i don't often read non fiction so it was definitely a welcome change

[Antonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

nothing makes me more depressed to work in marketing than reading about social media

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Language is cool and the internet is scary