Algospeak
By Adam Aleksic

"Incisive and funny, this is a page turner from start to finish.and Algospeakand is a must read for anyone seeking to understand how we communicate today."and - Taylor Lorenz, author ofand Extremely Online"A glorious romp through the myriad of ways video-powered social media is changing how we speak.and - Sophia Smith Galer, journalist and author"Algospeakand takes our understanding of online communication to a new level. and - David Crystal, author ofand How Language Works"Your chance to decode the linguistic mysteries of TikTok with one of the internet's most astute linguistic creators." -and Sarah Ogilvie, author ofand The Dictionary People"Packed with fascinating facts, of-the-moment observations and a sparkling voice,and Algospeakand is a gift to any word nerd." -and Amanda Montell, author ofand The Age of Magical Overthinkingand andand CultishFrom the rise of leetspeak and words such as “unalive 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. And with over 7 billion internet users uploading over 2.5 quintillion bytes of media every day, the sheer volume of potential new words is astounding.Inand Algospeak, online etymologist Adam Aleksic shines a light on the roots of words that we don't realise have come from unexpected places - from incel culture, from the innovation of users trying to get around content moderation algorithms, from the marketing speak that has invaded our personal lives. New slang emerges and goes viral overnight. Accents are shaped or erased on YouTube. Grammatical rules, loopholes, and patterns surface and transform our interactions, social norms and habits.An energetic, astonishing journey into language and the internet,and Algospeakand reveals the bigger social story of how language shapes us, just as much as we shape it.