DeepSummary
This episode of the Power User podcast features an interview with Adam Alexic, a Harvard linguistics graduate with over 1 million followers online, where he breaks down the evolution of internet language and the rise of terms like 'brain rot,' 'skibity,' 'sigma,' and 'riz.' He explains how these words, often originating from niche online communities like incels, have gone mainstream and become part of a new cultural language, especially among younger generations.
Alexic discusses the linguistic patterns behind these internet terms, such as how they are often tied to memes and trends that spread rapidly through social media algorithms. He also examines the role of emojis and other non-verbal communication in shaping online language, as well as the influence of platforms like TikTok on popularizing certain slang words.
The episode also covers broader topics like the generational divide in language use, the impact of social media on language evolution, and the dynamics between mainstream adoption and subculture appropriation of internet slang. Throughout, Alexic provides insights into the changing nature of language in the digital age.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Internet slang and language are evolving rapidly, driven by social media platforms, viral trends, and algorithms that spread and popularize certain terms.
- Terms like 'brain rot,' 'sigma,' and 'riz' originated in niche online communities but have gone mainstream, reflecting the increasing influence of internet culture on broader language.
- The pace of language change has accelerated, with words and memes having shorter lifespans before becoming outdated or replaced by newer trends.
- Online communication has led to the evolution of informal language conventions, including the use of emojis, punctuation, and capitalization to convey tone and meaning.
- There are gendered dynamics in language innovation, with young women driving more general slang innovations and young men more associated with meme-based internet slang.
- Experts like Adam Alexic are working to document and analyze the linguistic patterns and evolution of internet language, providing insights into this rapidly changing cultural phenomenon.
- The spread of internet slang reflects the increasing influence of online communities and subcultures on mainstream culture and language.
- Understanding the origins and meanings of internet slang terms can provide insights into the values, experiences, and identities of the communities that originated them.
Top Episodes Quotes
- βSo words come and go faster than they've ever gone before because they're tied to these fads that blow up quickly online and then are gone. And in the past, words would still be tied to fads, but these fads would last longer because not everybody was using them. All of a sudden now the Internet has kind of democratized access to slang, and it spreads instantly, and it's very tied to algorithms, too, and how algorithms reward certain trends.β by Adam Alexic
- βAnother example is like, the period, which is seen as passive aggressive. A lot of people, like, try to omit the period. Gretchen McCullough has an incredible a discussion of this in her book, because Internet, which I also recommend people check out. But yeah, no, basically, when we use lower case letters or use punctuation a certain way, we're trying to convey informality.β by Adam Alexic
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Episode Information
Power User with Taylor Lorenz
Vox Media
6/13/24
Over the past few months, the term βbrain rotβ has gone from essentially meaning chronically online, to a fully fledged meme and ironic slang language. Adam Aleksic aka βthe Etymology Nerdβ and Harvard linguistics graduate joins Taylor to break down how the language of the internet is evolving.Β
Later, Taylor dives into stories from the week including big announcements from Appleβs WWDC, the shadowy right-wing backers behind a Mr Beast video, BeReals big sale, and a new word to describe AI generated garbage.Β
- Full video of this episode will be available on Taylor's YouTube channel.
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