DiscoverScience on Player FMAlgorithmic Social Media Is Driving New Slang - Science Quickly
Algorithmic Social Media Is Driving New Slang - Science Quickly

Algorithmic Social Media Is Driving New Slang - Science Quickly

Update: 2025-09-19
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From viral slang such as “skibidi” to the rise of so-called brain rot, linguist and content creator Adam Aleksic, aka the “Etymology Nerd,” and associate editor Allison Parshall, who covers the mind and brain, unpack how social media and algorithms are reshaping the way we communicate.


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E-mail us at sciencequickly@sciam.com if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover!


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Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check the show. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith.


This episode was made possible by the support of Yakult and produced independently by Scientific American’s board of editors.

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Algorithmic Social Media Is Driving New Slang - Science Quickly

Algorithmic Social Media Is Driving New Slang - Science Quickly