Is Internet Slang Making Us All Sound the Same?
We know "demure" and "crashing out" hate to see us coming. You used to have to be chronically online to understand what the eff these words meant, but now most of us have become fluent in trendy lingo. Slang was once widely attributed to specific generations or demographics, but when the White House says, "very mindful, very demure" in a social caption, you know it's reached peak saturation.
Social media has gifted us the ability to engage with people and places we've never met or been exposed to, so it's only natural that our conversations cross cultural and locational lines. The way we communicate is rapidly evolving, and with internet lingo spreading faster than ever, we're wondering if this shared communication fosters a deeper sense of connection - or if it's flattening our conversations.
We consulted sociolinguist Kelly Elizabeth Wright, PhD, for her thoughts on the changing landscape of language and what the future of slang may mean for our connections.
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Kelly Elizabeth Wright, PhD, is an assistant professor of language sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The History of Slang
Most human evolution experts agree that words have existed for around 200,000 years. Dr. Wright reminds us that our current usage doesn't represent new linguistic forms but a lexical change. So why does the term "slang" denote an incorrect way of communicating? Dr. Wright says the term is "pejorative," adding, "When people call the language used by young people, or Black people, or queer people, or the chronically online slang, they demean it - mark it as non-normative or inappropriate."
If casual language simplifies our communication, wouldn't that be a good thing? It removes exclusivity and hierarchy, enhancing how we relate to each other and expanding connection.
"Professionals often place that 'simple' label on the communication styles of Black people, or the deaf, or other non-normative people because their language use doesn't mirror that of those in power," Dr. Wright says. "All languages are equally complex, generated from the same human organs of communication, and no tongue or code can outrank another in terms of its productive or descriptive power."
Sociolinguists traditionally measure language variation based on five metrics: class, age, race, gender, and location, with location as an outsized role. "Historically, language users are most often in physical proximity, so variation occurs across classes or racial groups in a particular city, neighborhood or school." An example of this would be Gen Alpha using terms like "Ohio" and elder millennials using terms like "hella."
Pre-social media and other digital spaces, individuals may have felt more connected to their particular age group or other sociological factors. Now that we mainly communicate online, it makes sense that we're quickly adopting each other's way of speaking.
That said, Dr. Wright reminds us that this is not anything new; language has always been evolving. "Language evolves like rivers evolve. Its development is continuous and ongoing; it is the oldest thing in a socioscape - words change every single day as they move through minds, mouths, hands, pencils, printers, and keyboards."
The Virality of a Word
Knowing that language is ever-evolving, what makes a word go viral? Take "demure," a formal word found in the dictionary unlike other "slang." Apparently, the word's meteoric rise isn't all that surprising. According to Dr. Wright, what is occurring with "demure" and her cousins is not particularly special. "The 2022 Word of the Year cycle, our wildcard category was dominated by similar phrasal templates, like 'she's a 10,' and 'hits different,' which spread in very similar ways."
Dr. Wright points out that while these words share the same virality, they also share another trait - they stem from marginalized groups, specifically the trans community and younger generations (most often, from women and femmes). And while the uptick of new words among such groups is not linguistically noteworthy, the rapidity is. "The pace at which this occurs and the wide diffusion of groups across which it occurs is special."
The Cool Factor of Slang
The buzz of trendy words can leave us either feeling "in the know" or entirely out of the loop. Using popular slang in daily conversations feels like donning the newest trendy sneakers, hair trends, or any other social signifier of cool. And if slang influences self-expression, are individuals feeling pressured to speak the same language as their peers?
While younger generations and marginalized groups are leading in lexical reanalysis, it doesn't mean that they don't also succumb to the social pressure of trying to relate through slang. Dr. Wright says, "As the youngest/er generations mature, they begin to describe their environments and experiences through their own worldview - a worldview is built through experience, which is the key separation between identity groups."
That being said, Dr. Wright points us back to the main propellant of language: its inevitable evolution, thus making it one of the most fluid aspects of humanity. We can assign meaning to words that fall outside the previously defined. We can express parts of our identity through lexical exchange, and we can access other communities through it as well - and that doesn't always equate to appropriation, but rather connectedness.
"We can allow people to innocently meet language where it is as they mature. We can allow people to externalize their thoughts without having access to the entire, objective history of a word's usage. It isn't appropriation - or cultural flattening - for young, straight, white, affluent children to go around saying 'mother' without knowing about Crystal LaBeija and Willi Ninja. I think we can choose to celebrate linguistic variation and change."
(Dr. Wright is of course correct, but may we (strongly) suggest you watch "Paris Is Burning" - a documentary on New York City's 80's ballroom culture - to do your homework?)
The Future of Communication in the Digital Age
It's undeniable that communication in the digital age has collapsed boundaries and fostered strong parasocial relationships. Without digital spaces, individuals leaned on geographical proximity, which limited shared linguistic resources and, in turn, limited communication.
"We see many resources being shared now because we can connect with our peers rapidly and globally, and those connections continue to be strengthened and refreshed," Dr. Wright says. "This kind of development is very similar to a sociolect (a dialect of a particular society)."
As social media platforms increase their censoring, slang is also used to code language to avoid being flagged. "This type of usage employs tactics that have been in play for the entire history of print, long before the digital age." In Dr. Wright's "Among the New Words", a quarterly dictionary, she points out that TikTok, YouTube, and Twitch have no public lists of words to avoid. This leads to an assumption on the creator's part and, thus, potential censorship, including self-censorship.
Individuals are getting inventive with how they communicate, including intentionally mispronouncing or misspelling words, leaving the viewer or reader to pick up on context and implication; this phenomenon is now called "algospeak," i.e. "algorithm" and "speak."
If you're online, you've either seen it or already adopted algospeak to avoid censoring by the algorithm. But in case you're still unsure, an example of algospeak would be the widely adopted spelling of sex as "seggs" on social platforms. Or the euphemistic phrase "grippy sock," which refers to mental health. Or even the use of a word that sounds similar in nature but is different, like "homophonic" to mean homophobic. It's a disguised language that is actually quite linguistically scrappy.
Language is evolving faster than ever, and the power of words is at the forefront of moving our culture forward and helping us understand each other intimately and intrinsically. So, what is the future of slang in the digital age? Besties, it seems like it's up to us.
Related:
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Jasmine Desiree is a Los Angeles-based writer and editor who covers everything from beauty and wellness to interior design. She loves reporting on people, places, and trends that are innovative and influential to the culture.
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