Jul 24

Jul 24 Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language

About the book

Author: Adam Aleksic
Publisher: Knopf

More info:
The StoryGraph | Goodreads
Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the review.

Buy and support indie bookstores (+ I earn a small commission):
Bookshop.org (print or ebook) | Libro.fm (audio)

My Review

Algospeak is the first book by Adam Aleksic, a linguist who has millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram as @etymologynerd. As promised, he breaks down “how social media is transforming the future of language.” Reader, I’m obsessed.

As a word nerd and book person, I’ve read a LOT of books about shifting language in the modern era — it’s a catnip topic for me. But I’m happy to report that this book is NOT just more of the same. It stands firmly on its own two feet for its deep focus on the algorithms themselves as an accelerant and instigator of language’s rapid evolution. Everything he teaches feels recognizable (“ah yes, of course that’s true”), but it’s taught and arranged in ways you may not have fully considered before. I inhaled it.

I think anyone who loves language or is a creator (or is simply very online) will love this book, but if you’re both of those things, it’s an absolute MUST read. It’s also short (only about 5 hours on audio) and particularly timely right now. So I would advocate to read it sooner rather than later — it will still be relevant down the line, but I think it will hit harder if the slang and trends he discusses still feel current.

Do it do it do it!