At the Paley Museum in New York City, experts are studying how social media is rapidly transforming the English language. Linguist Adam Aleksic highlights the emergence of terms like "looksmaxxing" and "unalive," which originated in specialized online communities and have now become more widely used. The conversation explores whether these changes represent a natural progression of language or if they are influenced by social media algorithms that promote certain ways of speaking.
This phenomenon extends beyond casual slang, impacting everyday conversations and even professional environments through what is called "influencer-speak." The research prompts important reflections on the role of digital communication in shaping social identity and considers whether these new linguistic trends will become a lasting part of our cultural vocabulary.