Book #44
Algospeak
By Adam Aleksic
Comparing Old & New Language
The latest three books in my Book Reading Challenge have been:
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (1818)
- A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare (1600)
- The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (1886)
Despite their age, I was struck by how relevant each of these books are. They aren’t just outdated classics, but rather timeless mirrors of the human condition- something that remains very much alive today.
If anything, questions regarding human nature have only increased in the age of artificial intelligence and ubiquitous technology.
However, there was one part of these books that I found jarring: the language. The characters used words and cultural references that have long since faded away, which sometimes caused me difficulty.
So with my book choice this week, I sought a linguistic contrast and selected a book on modern language: Algospeak by Adam Aleksic.
Yet, instead of whiplash, I found continuity. Aleksic even referenced Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the introduction and Shakespeare in the first chapter. It made me realize that modern language has not taken a sharp turn from its predecessor, but rather a natural progression.
New Words, Same Logic
People once used coded language to avoid offending kings, clergy, or ancient tyrannical governments. We still have that instinct, although now we also have to tailor our words to please algorithms. “Algospeak” refers to our use of coded words online to dodge internet censorship.
Take euphemisms, for example. These days, people online will replace words with subtle or symbolic versions to dodge algorithmic filters and still communicate the same idea. Such examples are:
- dead → unalive
- rape → grape
- sex → seggs
- gun → pew pew
Among many, many more. And the list of these words just keeps growing.
So, although the words are new, the behavior and necessity of humans adjusting our language to fit within current societal structures is in fact very old, and central to the human experience.
Shaping Ourselves to the Algorithm & the Algorithm Shaping Us
Not only do we shape our language to the times, we shape our personality and identity around it as well. We each have a symbiotic relationship with digital culture. In one way, we create it; in another, it creates us.
We don’t just passively consume digital content; when we click on something, we will get more of the same. In this way, our identity gets refined as we get pulled into that type of content.
Before we know it, we are engaging with other users in the subculture, using common language and references, and building an identity around it. And when we develop a sense of belonging to that group, that draws us in even more.
In some cases, we may even have more in common with someone who watches the same content as us than with someone who lives next door to us.
Identity Homogenized
This creates an interesting and little understood impact on a person’s identity. Online identities might take over- or even clash with- our real world ones. Today, we simultaneously exist as a cacophony of identities, each created for a different purpose. But which is the real us? Or are we all of them, all at once?
Despite our contemporary freedom to create new identities for ourselves, we also face limitations in doing so.
Individualism becomes dampened online. We start to behave more like our online peers and less like ourselves as individuals. We are rewarded for speaking and creating in the way those at the top of the online social hierarchy create. Because doing so pleases the algorithm. This can mean we become less aware of our own behaviors or preferences and instead act on algorithmic nudges- though we rarely recognize these as such.
Right now, the internet is Americanized since American English dominates the internet’s hierarchy of attention. And so there is pressure to minimize any characteristics- like accents or cultural behaviors- that do not align with this way of being.
There have even been reports of TikTok limiting the visibility of users who don’t fit the preferred aesthetic due to factors like age, appearance, or wealth1. Instead, it prefers more aspirational content, than realistic.
To be fair, this happens offline as well- and has for all of human history. Humans have often felt pressure to code-switch based on what is acceptable and praised. Although, what is on top of the social hierarchy changes based on factors like geographic location and time period.
So you can be an individual online, but the algorithm rewards creators who mimic the top performers in both style and content. This reward for sameness amplifies the feedback loop- explaining why so many influencers end up sounding alike.
The Influencer Accent
The influencer accent refers to the specific way that online creators speak. They speak in a way that will hold their audience’s attention, such as talking quickly or using a lot of vocal fry to keep you hanging on their every word. This makes even mundane things seem interesting.
This speaking technique isn’t accidental; it’s an adaptive behavior shaped by attention markets. It is performance created by incentives- not a communication form based on authenticity.
Influencers also like to talk to you- as if you are in the room with them. This creates a parasocial bond that makes you more likely to keep coming back.
It is a fascinating example of how not just our words, but the sound of them become optimized for the algorithm.
My Love-Hate Relationship With Digital Language
Now that I am a blogger, I have to grapple with my own use of internet language.
Is it Me Talking, or the SEO?
Originally, I was uncomfortable sacrificing my authentic voice to SEO (search engine optimization) in any way. I would resist any SEO prompts and would instead write “my way”.
This showed in my work. It was rough and “unique” to the point of sometimes being bad, but it felt original.
In an early blog post, I generated a SEO title through the WordPress dashboard when I couldn’t come up with a title of my own. And every time my eyes gloss over that title even months later, it jumps out at me as “not my words”.
It was only when I started migrating my work to a self-hosted website (this site, messybununiverse.com) that I begrudgingly started working within this optimized framework; since there was a built-in SEO tool that regularly chastised my work.
At first, none of my blog posts scored well for readability or SEO, which forced me to rethink how I write online.
I started using headings to break up long posts and I used more accurate titles. Before, I would use artistic titles that only made sense if you read the piece- sort of like a chapter title. I now know that for blogging, you want a title to be immediately understandable so that people can decide if they want to read it or not. They aren’t cracking open a book, they are looking for shorter form content. Fair enough.
Use More Emotional Language!
However, SEO often asks you to use attention-grabbing language in order to get people to click.
But I am uncomfortable with this.
I am someone who has been hurt by hyperbole and extreme language in my own life. So I do not want to contribute to escalation in any way, even for more views. Instead, I want to help heal readers and calm them down.
I want to be a soothing balm, not a matchstick or grenade.
My Own (In)Authentic Voice
Finding my voice online has been challenging, not just with my word choice but literally finding my voice. I want to turn my blog posts into audio content so that people can listen to them while they are on-the-go. I considered simply recording them myself, but that felt a little too personal as I write anonymously. And it didn’t sound “polished” enough, or anything like the content people have been trained to hear.
The modern world offers endless options. I could choose an AI voice, perhaps one with a British accent, or one that sounds sarcastic, or playful. Man, woman, fantastical, realistic- any voice I wanted. But none of these felt right (for many reasons).
It felt like a backwards step to finding my own voice.
Is it possible to sound unique while using a generic voice? Or to be original when using AI? Can I be human if the voice is artificial?
Ultimately, I didn’t end up going this route. In too many ways, it felt too far away from my symbolic and literal voice, which is something I am still trying to find.
The Danger of Abstract Language
Despite my existential crisis about my online voice, reading Algospeak actually opened my mind to the usefulness of digital language- specifically euphemisms. Another thing I had previously resisted.
Aleksic suggests that silly or abstract words can make serious topics more approachable, which can be especially beneficial to young people.
I hope algospeak can act as a “gateway” to these topics. Yet, I have always preferred clarity, especially on sensitive topics. (As long as this clarity is age appropriate.)
When we blur language around topics like sex, for example, the consequences can be serious. Children or adults may fail to understand the true meaning of the nuance.
If a child is told “don’t let anyone touch your willy”, they might not recognize abuse if a predator uses a different word. Or if a student tells their principal that a teacher “touched their eggplant”, the meaning can be entirely lost on the principal. These are simultaneously silly, yet incredibly serious examples. But this illustrates the potential incoherence of these mixed messages. The softening and obscuring of words should therefore be met with scrutiny.
Likewise, when Black creators use clear words like “racism”, algorithms sometimes suppress that content as “controversial”. In those moments, digital censorship doesn’t protect, it silences.
Euphemisms IRL
Even Hospice Nurse Penny, the author of another book I read during my Book Reading Challenge: Influencing Death, talks about how euphemisms for death can sometimes be minimizing. Having spent her career caring for dying people, I wonder what she would think about a word like “unalive”.
In her opinion, there is nothing wrong with naming death for what it is and acknowledging the reality of it, instead of trying to hide from the gravity of it.
There is a delicate balance between subtlety and minimization.
Being unable to talk about something freely can be emotionally and psychologically restrictive. And this can impact a person’s healing process.
Of course though, people should use the words that feel right to them.
Similarly, when adults use words like “penis” and “vagina” they are signalling to children that these aren’t bad words. There is no shame attached to them, and they can be discussed openly. This can empower the child to speak up about any issue regarding these.
So although I am happy that euphemisms can bring comfort, they can also bring concealment. They are a double-edged sword.
Language Changes, Yet Endures
Even though many of these issues feel new and unnerving, they are also strangely familiar. We have always had to adjust our language to fit the needs and constraints of our time. The form of language is in constant change, but not its purpose. We still need it to connect with others, express ourselves, and communicate ideas.
It is impossible to predict new words, yet when we look back we can see their origins and their logic. Despite language changing rapidly in modern times, it remains one of the most enduring facets of humanity.
Shakespeare could not have imagined “seggs” or “unalive”, yet he would have understood perfectly why we invented them.
Messy Bun Book Lover
Algospeak is available here.
Sources Cited:
- Hern, A. (2020, March 17) “TikTok ‘tried to filter out videos from ugly, poor or disabled users.’” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/mar/17/tiktok-tried-to-filter-out-videos-from-ugly-poor-or-disabled-users
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