Thursday, 18 September 2025

algospeak: how social media influences the way we talk

As google AI tells us, in an easy definition of algorithms:

In simple terms, an algorithm is a set of step-by-step instructions for completing a task or solving a problem. These instructions are ordered and precise, like a recipe for baking a cake or the steps to making a peanut butter sandwich, and are used by computers and humans to achieve a specific outcome from a given input

Or, when it comes to algorithm: meaning in computer:

Sorting data: An algorithm can define the steps to sort a list of numbers in ascending order.

Finding a path: An algorithm can determine the shortest route on a map by calculating and comparing various paths.

Social media feeds: Algorithms in social media platforms analyze user data to recommend content, though these often involve heuristics (rules of thumb) rather than strictly correct solutions, as noted in Wikipedia.

What about algorithms and language?

Dale Shaw writes for the New World weekly magazine and has written a review of the new book  Algospeak, the language of the machine:

We invented algorithms to sort our words. Now the algorithms are teaching us how to speak

There is one meaning of this word Algospeak - Wikipedia:

In social media, algospeak is a self-censorship phenomenon in which users adopt coded expressions to evade automated content moderation.[1][2] It is used to discuss topics deemed sensitive to moderation algorithms while avoiding penalties such as shadow banning, downranking, or de-monetization of content

But it's also Algospeak (book) - Wikipedia:

Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language is a 2025 non-fiction book by linguist and content creator Adam Aleksic, known online as Etymology Nerd. It explores various linguistic phenomena on the internet, including algospeak, internet slang, and linguistic innovations driven by social media algorithms.[1][2][3]

The book primarily argues that the internet and social media are driving many of recent linguistic innovations, and even crossing over to the offline world.[4] The book covers how social media algorithms—the system that determines which content will be shown to the user—drive content creators to optimize their expression for greater reach.[1] Aleksic argues for an expanded definition of algospeak to encapsulate this new way of social media-influenced expression, going beyond its original definition of the use of coded expressions to evade automated content moderation.[1]

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