Book Review: ‘Algospeak’ shows just how much social media is changing us

How much has social media changed the way we talk and behave That s the question linguist and content creator Adam Aleksic sets out to answer in his debut book Algospeak If you already know what words like yeet rizz brainrot or blackpilled mean several of this information might not come as a surprise to you Still Aleksic s 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 Algospeak 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 Social media creates new identities in order to commodify them Aleksic writes in a chapter about microtrends and micro-labels Your decisions are now curated for you under the guise of personalization while in reality they re engineered to make platforms as much money as realizable As a self-proclaimed etymology nerd Aleksic leans heavily into his experience as a content creator providing a crash unit into social media history and how to battle the ever-changing and opaque algorithm His tone is academic yet approachable and he s bold but pragmatic in his assertions exploring counterarguments sufficiently He identifies the transient nature of language and the algorithm without delay since the cultural references in Algospeak threat expiring speedily as trends change and social media platforms shift but that s the point The algorithm is here to stay This is why I think it s absolutely worth talking about even the preponderance fleeting words Aleksic writes Aleksic s writing feels personable and knowledgeable as he translates his online presence offline and in doing so demonstrates his own suggests about parasocial relationships and owning one s 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 Algorithms are the culprits influencers are the accomplices language is the weapon and you dear reader are the victim he writes AP book reviews https apnews com hub book-reviews Source