by Adam Aleksic
First published 2025
The internet has created a linguistic revolution. Professional linguist Adam Aleksic examines how social media algorithms transform the way we communicate. From "brainrot" memes to incel terminology, from the "-core" suffix trend to Taylor Swift fan dialects, new language patterns emerge and spread at unprecedented speed. Aleksic draws on original surveys, data analysis, and internet archival research to map this changing landscape. He explores how accents shift on YouTube, how grammatical rules evolve through digital platforms, and how younger generations develop new ways to discuss taboo subjects like sex and death. The book covers emoji origins, trendbait language, and the forces that make certain phrases go viral overnight. Aleksic brings both academic expertise and social media experience to his analysis. He shows how our online and offline interactions now follow different patterns, creating new social norms and communication habits. This study reveals how technology and algorithms actively shape human language in ways both obvious and surprising.
Genres: language, computers, non-fiction, 21st-century, communication, linguistics, academia, algorithms
Vibes: fast-paced, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: academic, cultural-studies, linguistic-analysis
256 pages · Hardcover · Knopf