How algorithms are changing the way we speak

In this episode of The Indicator from Planet Money, host Adrian Ma interviews linguist Adam Aleksic, author of "Algospeak," about how social media and algorithms are rapidly changing the English language. Aleksic explains that algorithms on platforms like TikTok and others incentivize certain language trends, leading to the rapid spread of new words and phrases, such as "riz" and "skibidi," and even the creation of new words like "unalive" to bypass censorship. They discuss how algorithms amplify trends, influence speech patterns, and sometimes flatten the diversity of expression, while also acknowledging that language changes are a reflection of cultural shifts. Aleksic also touches on the "influencer accent" and how the need to grab attention online affects the way people speak, noting that while these changes can be seen negatively due to the commodification of attention, they ultimately represent humans adapting to new mediums of communication.