Daily Podcast #45

Source 🎧

Are we cooked? How social media shapes your language | Adam Aleksic - TED Talks Daily (TED Audio Collective)

Sentences ✍️

1. It’ll mostly be in informal situations, but could show up in contexts like a student’s essay on Hamlet’s contemplation of unaliving himself, or a classroom discussion on the unaliving that happens in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
   • unaliving: A euphemistic and informal way of referring to death or suicide, often used to avoid triggering language or content moderation on social media platforms.
   • New sentence: Some online creators use the word unaliving to discuss serious topics without violating platform guidelines.
2. But the main function appears to be euphemistic.
   • euphemistic: Describing something in a mild or indirect way to avoid sounding harsh, blunt, or offensive. It involves the use of a euphemism.
   • New sentence: Saying someone “passed away” is a euphemistic way of saying they died.
3. Unless you’re some kind of etymology nerd.
   • etymology: The study of the origin of words and how their meanings and forms have changed over time.
   • New sentence: Her love of words led her to study etymology in college, where she traced English words back to Latin and Greek roots.
     
     

Summarization 👀

Linguist Adam Aleksic explores how social media platforms—especially TikTok—are transforming the way we use language. Words like unalive, which originated as euphemisms to avoid content moderation filters, have now entered everyday vocabulary among young people, even appearing in school essays and classroom discussions. Most users don’t realize these terms were invented as workarounds for algorithmic censorship; they simply adopt them from online communities. Aleksic explains that this is part of a larger pattern where social media algorithms shape not only which words spread, but how fast and widely they do. Viral content like the Rizzler song helps boost slang such as rizz, gyat, and skibbity by attaching them to catchy trends, reinforcing their popularity through repetition and engagement. These platforms also commercialize identity through trending words like cottagecore, encouraging users to associate with niche aesthetics and consume related content. Even slang patterns like the -pilled suffix have been co-opted from harmful subcultures, with origins in incel rhetoric, raising concerns about algorithm-driven exposure to extremist ideas. At the same time, Aleksic highlights how much of modern slang originates from Black and queer communities, but once these words go viral, they often lose their cultural context and are commodified by broader internet culture. While this pattern of appropriation is not new, algorithms now accelerate it significantly. Despite the risks, Aleksic doesn’t believe language is being destroyed. He sees today’s slang as a reflection of creativity, humor, and social identity, much like previous generations’ use of words like cool or hi-fi. What’s important, he argues, is being aware—aware of how algorithms influence our speech, how marketing shapes our identities, and how certain words can perpetuate harm. Understanding where words come from, and how they function in society, helps us better understand ourselves. And with that, he closes with the perfect piece of modern slang: “Thanks for coming to my TED Talk.”