Algospeak Explained

Algospeak is the use of coded expressions to evade automated moderation algorithms on social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. It is used to discuss topics deemed sensitive to moderation algorithms while avoiding penalties such as shadow banning. As a type of internet slang,^[1] Calhoun and Fawcett described it as a "linguistic self-censorship".^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]}

The term algospeak is a blend of Algorithm and -speak;^[10] it is also known as slang replacement or Voldemorting, referencing the fictional character known as "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named".^[11] Algospeak is different from other types of netspeak in that its primary purpose is to avoid moderation, rather than to create communal identity. However, algospeak may still be used in online communities.

In 2022, Forbes reported that almost a third of American social media users reported using "emojis or alternative phrases" to subvert content moderation.^[12]

Causes

Many social media platforms use automated content moderation systems to align content with the platform's guidelines, which are often not determined by the users themselves. TikTok in particular uses artificial intelligence (AI) for moderation purposes, in addition to reviewing user reports and employing human moderators. Such AIs are often called "algorithms" or "bots", despite them not following a strict algorithm. TikTok's unequal enforcement on topics such as LGBT and obesity has led a to a view of AI moderation being contradictory and "inconsistent". In addition, AI may miss important context; for example, communities who aid people who struggle with self-harm or suicidal thoughts may inadvertently get caught in the automated moderation. TikTok users have used algospeak to discuss and provide support to those who self-harm.^[13]

Methods

Algospeak uses techniques akin to those used in Aesopian language to conceal the intended meaning from automated content filters, while being understandable to human readers. One such method draws from leetspeak, where letters are replaced with lookalike characters (eg. $3X for sex).^[8]

Another method is where certain words may be censored, or in the case of auditory media, cut off or bleeped, e.g., s*icide instead of suicide. A third method involves "pseudo-substitution", where an item is censored in one form, while it is present in another form at the same time, as used in videos.^[14]

Examples

According to New York Times:

• le dollar bean – lesbian
• panini, panoramic – pandemic, especially COVID-19^[15]
• accountant – sex worker
• (to) unalive, unalived – to kill; killed, dead
• cornucopia – homophobia
• leg booty – LGBTQ
• nip nops – nipples
• seggs – sex

Other examples:^[16]

• corn – porn
• camping – abortion
• sewer slide – suicide

See also

• Glossary of the Greek military junta
• Glossary of Nazi Germany
• Inclusive language
• Language and thought
• LTI – Lingua Tertii Imperii ("The Language of the Third Reich")
• Linguistic imperialism
• Linguistic relativity
• Linguistic determinism
• Logocracy
• Philosophy of language
• Soviet phraseology
• Un-word of the year

Fiction:

• Ascian language
• Koalang
• Nadsat
• Newspeak

Notes and References

1. Steen . Ella . Yurechko . Kathryn . Klug . Daniel . September 2023 . You Can (Not) Say What You Want: Using Algospeak to Contest and Evade Algorithmic Content Moderation on TikTok . Social Media + Society . en . 9 . 3 . 10.1177/20563051231194586 . 2056-3051. free .
2. Kendra . Alexia . Calhoun . Fawcett . December 30, 2023 . "They Edited Out her Nip Nops": Linguistic Innovation as Textual Censorship Avoidance on TikTok . Language@Internet . 21 . 1–30.
3. News: Lorenz . Taylor . 8 April 2022 . Internet 'algospeak' is changing our language in real time, from 'nip nops' to 'le dollar bean' . 2 January 2024 . The Washington Post.
4. News: Delkic . Melina . 2022-11-19 . Leg Booty? Panoramic? Seggs? How TikTok Is Changing Language . 2024-04-16 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
5. Web site: Kreuz . Roger J. . 13 April 2023 . What is 'algospeak'? Inside the newest version of linguistic subterfuge . 2 January 2024 . The Conversation.
6. Web site: From Camping to Cheese Pizza, 'Algospeak' is Taking over Social Media . 2 January 2024 . Forbes.
7. Book: Klug . Daniel . Companion Proceedings of the ACM Web Conference 2022 . Steen . Ella . Yurechko . Kathryn . 2022 . 9781450394192 . 234–237 . How Algorithm Awareness Impacts Algospeak Use on TikTok . 10.1145/3543873.3587355 . 2 January 2024 . https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3543873.3587355 . 258377709.
8. Stano . Simona . 2022 . Linguistic guerrilla warfare 2.0: On the "forms" of online resistance . Rivista Italiana di Filosofia del Linguaggio . en . 2022: SFL - Language, powers, rights (eds. A. Bertollini & S. Garello) . 10.4396/2022SFL13 . 2036-6728.
9. Web site: Ifeanyi . KC . 2022-10-31 . Decoding what algospeak really means for Content Creators . Fast Company.
10. Kireeva . Anna . 2022 . Neologisms: Sociolinguistic Approach . SSRN Electronic Journal . en . 10.2139/ssrn.4232119 . 1556-5068.
11. McCulloch . Gretchen . Welcome to Voldemorting, the Ultimate SEO Dis . 2024-08-12 . Wired . en-US . 1059-1028.
12. Web site: Levine . Alexandra S. . From Camping To Cheese Pizza, 'Algospeak' Is Taking Over Social Media . 2023-08-27 . Forbes . en.
13. Vera . Valerie . October 2023 . Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and Content Moderation on TikTok . Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology . en . 60 . 1 . 1164–1166 . 10.1002/pra2.979 . 2373-9231.
14. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/379119607_TW_su11d3_-Multimodal_Self-Censorship_on_YouTube
15. News: Brown . Evan Nicole . 2021-03-19 . How Nicknames for the Pandemic Became a Popular Online Trend . 2024-10-03 . The New York Times.
16. Web site: Tellez . Anthony . 'Mascara,' 'Unalive,' 'Corn': What Common Social Media Algospeak Words Actually Mean . 2 January 2024 . Forbes.