On social media, the algorithm drives which words go viral. TikToker and writer Adam Aleksic (@etymologynerd) argues that what we consume on platforms is changing our language on and offline.
About Adam Aleksic
Adam Aleksic is a social media linguist and influencer publishing videos as the “Etymology Nerd” to an audience of over three million. He’s the author of the book, Algospeak: How Social Media is Transforming the Future of Language. He’s also written for The Washington Post, The New York Times and The Financial Times, among others.
Aleksic holds a degree in government and linguistics from Harvard University, where he served as president of the Harvard Undergraduate Linguistics Society.
This segment of the TED Radio Hour was produced by Matthew Cloutier and edited by Sanaz Meshkinpour and Manoush Zomorodi. You can follow us on Facebook @TEDRadioHour and email us at [email protected].
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Related NPR Links
NPR Topic: Linguistics
Book of the Day: ‘Algospeak’ looks at algorithms’ transformative impact on how we speak on and offline
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