Algorithmic Censorship and the Evolution of Language
The emergence of slang on social media is a response to algorithmic censorship, as users adapt to platform rules to convey their intended meaning.
According to Adam Aleksic's book Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language, social media platforms have implemented elaborate policies to appease advertisers and politicians, resulting in the creation of euphemisms.
- Nipples are referred to as "nip nops"
- A picture of an eggplant can represent a penis
- Killing someone is rephrased as "unaliving" them
- Committing suicide is euphemized as "kermit sewerslide"
Everything slightly risqué or unpleasant becomes baby talk.
This phenomenon is not a result of teens being "overgrown infants," but rather a bottom-up response to top-down censorship, as users find ways to express themselves while navigating platform rules.
Author: Algorithmic censorship influences language evolution.