Algospeak

In social media, '''algospeak''' is a self-censorship phenomenon in which users adopt coded expressions to evade real or imagined automated content moderation.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last1=Kendra |first1=Alexia |last2=Calhoun |first2=Fawcett |date=December 30, 2023 |title="They Edited Out her Nip Nops": Linguistic Innovation as Textual Censorship Avoidance on TikTok |url=https://www.languageatinternet.org/articles/2023/calhoun |journal=Language@Internet |volume=21 |pages=1–30 |doi=10.14434/li.v21.37371 |url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="Stano">{{Cite journal |last=Stano |first=Simona |date=2022 |title=Linguistic guerrilla warfare 2.0: On the "forms" of online resistance |url=http://rifl.unical.it/index.php/rifl/article/view/776 |journal=Rivista Italiana di Filosofia del Linguaggio |language=en |issue=2022: SFL - Language, powers, rights (eds. A. Bertollini & S. Garello) |doi=10.4396/2022SFL13 |issn=2036-6728}}</ref> It allows users to discuss topics deemed sensitive to moderation algorithms while avoiding penalties such as shadow banning, downranking, or de-monetization of content.<ref name="social">{{Cite journal |last1=Steen |first1=Ella |last2=Yurechko |first2=Kathryn |last3=Klug |first3=Daniel |date=September 2023 |title=You Can (Not) Say What You Want: Using Algospeak to Contest and Evade Algorithmic Content Moderation on TikTok |journal=Social Media + Society |language=en |volume=9 |issue=3 |doi=10.1177/20563051231194586 |issn=2056-3051 |doi-access=free |article-number=20563051231194586}}</ref> A type of netspeak, algospeak primarily serves to bypass censorship, though it can also reinforce group belonging, especially in marginalized communities.<ref name="social" /> Algospeak has been identified as one source of linguistic change in the modern era, with some terms spreading into everyday offline speech and writing. The term has been used more broadly to include any language change driven by digital usage.<ref name=":52" />

== History == The term ''algospeak''–a blend of ''Algorithm'' and ''-speak<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Kireeva |first=Anna |date=2022 |title=Neologisms: Sociolinguistic Approach |url=https://www.ssrn.com/abstract=4232119 |journal=SSRN Electronic Journal |language=en |doi=10.2139/ssrn.4232119 |issn=1556-5068 |url-access=subscription}}</ref>—''appears to date back to 2021, though related ideas have existed for longer. In 2018, the internet researcher Emily van der Nagel coined the terms '''''Voldemorting''' and '''screenshotting''','' two strategies social media users use to avoid giving attention to objectionable figures or attracting algorithmic attention from unwanted audiences.<ref name="Stano" /> "Voldemorting" is named after ''Harry Potter'' character Lord Voldemort, aka "You-Know-Who" or "He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named",<ref>{{Cite web |last=Quint |first=The |date=2022-04-12 |title=Algospeak: The Simplest Way To Bypass Censorship on Social Media |url=https://www.thequint.com/tech-and-auto/tech-news/algospeak-the-simplest-way-to-bypass-algorithms-on-social-media |access-date=2025-09-17 |website=TheQuint |language=en}}</ref> and involves obfuscating the referent of a post by avoiding directly mentioning a name or a term.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=van der Nagel |first=Emily |date=2018-08-01 |title='Networks that work too well': intervening in algorithmic connections |url=https://doi.org/10.1177/1329878X18783002 |journal=Media International Australia |language=EN |volume=168 |issue=1 |pages=81–92 |doi=10.1177/1329878X18783002 |issn=1329-878X}}</ref> ''Screenshotting'' refers to the act of sharing screenshots instead of machine-readable text.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=McCulloch |first=Gretchen |title=Welcome to Voldemorting, the Ultimate SEO Dis |url=https://www.wired.com/story/voldemorting-ultimate-seo-diss-resident-linguist/ |access-date=2024-08-12 |magazine=Wired |language=en-US |issn=1059-1028}}</ref>

The term ''algospeak'' gained wider recognition in 2022 after Taylor Lorenz featured it in an article for ''The Washington Post''.<ref name=":5">{{cite book |last1=Aleksic |first1=Adam |title=Algospeak |date=2025 |publisher=Penguin Random House |isbn=9780593804087 |page=8-9}}</ref> In 2025, Adam Aleksic published ''Algospeak'', the first monograph dedicated to the phenomenon. It proposes an expanded definition which encompasses any language change that is primarily driven by the constraints of digital platforms.<ref name=":52">{{cite book |last1=Aleksic |first1=Adam |title=Algospeak |date=2025 |publisher=Penguin Random House |isbn=9780593804087 |page=9}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Ma |first1=Adrian |title=Weekend Edition Sunday |url=https://www.npr.org/2025/07/20/nx-s1-5261011/adam-aleksic-discusses-algospeak-and-how-social-media-is-changing-how-we-talk |access-date=9 September 2025 |publisher=NPR}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Dingfelder |first1=Sadie |date=7 July 2025 |title='Algospeak' says we're living through a linguistic revolution |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/books/2025/07/07/algospeak-social-media-language-adam-aleksic-review/ |access-date=9 September 2025 |newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref>

== Causes and motivations == Many social media platforms rely on automated content moderation systems to enforce their guidelines, which the users often have no control over and may be changed at any time.<ref name=":1" /> TikTok in particular uses artificial intelligence to proactively moderate content, in addition to responding to user reports and using human moderators. In colloquial usage, such systems are called "algorithms" or "bots". TikTok has faced criticism for its unequal enforcement on topics such as LGBTQ people and obesity, leading to a perception that social media moderation is contradictory and inconsistent.<ref name="social" />

Between July and September 2024, TikTok reported removing 150 million videos, 120 million of which were flagged by automated systems.<ref>{{Cite web |date=December 18, 2024 |title=Community Guidelines Enforcement Report |url=https://www.tiktok.com/transparency/en-us/community-guidelines-enforcement-2024-3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241218181459/https://www.tiktok.com/transparency/en-us/community-guidelines-enforcement-2024-3 |archive-date=2024-12-18 |access-date=2024-12-21 |website=www.tiktok.com |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref> Automated moderation may miss important context; for example, benign communities who aid people who struggle with self-harm, suicidal thoughts, or past sexual violence may inadvertently receive unwarranted penalties.<ref name=":2">{{cite web |last=Kreuz |first=Roger J. |date=13 April 2023 |title=What is 'algospeak'? Inside the newest version of linguistic subterfuge |url=https://theconversation.com/what-is-algospeak-inside-the-newest-version-of-linguistic-subterfuge-203460 |access-date=2 January 2024 |website=The Conversation}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Tillewein |first1=Heather |last2=Mohon-Doyle |first2=Keely |last3=Cox |first3=Destiny |date=November 2024 |title=A Critical Discourse Analysis of Sexual Violence Survivors and Censorship on the Social Media Platform TikTok |url=https://link.springer.com/10.1007/s10508-024-02987-2 |journal=Archives of Sexual Behavior |language=en |volume=53 |issue=10 |pages=3785–3794 |doi=10.1007/s10508-024-02987-2 |pmid=39317917 |issn=0004-0002|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="social" /> TikTok users have used algospeak to discuss and provide support to those who self-harm.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Vera |first=Valerie |date=October 2023 |title=Nonsuicidal Self-Injury and Content Moderation on TikTok |url=https://asistdl.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pra2.979 |journal=Proceedings of the Association for Information Science and Technology |language=|volume=60 |issue=1 |pages=1164–1166 |doi=10.1002/pra2.979 |issn=2373-9231|url-access=subscription }}</ref> An interview with nineteen TikTok creators revealed that they felt TikTok's moderation lacked contextual understanding, appeared random, was often inaccurate, and exhibited bias against marginalized communities.<ref name="social" />

Algospeak is also used in communities promoting harmful behaviors. Anti-vaccination Facebook groups began renaming themselves to "dance party" or "dinner party" to avoid being flagged for misinformation. Likewise, communities that encourage the eating disorder anorexia nervosa have been employing algospeak.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lorenz |first=Taylor |date=8 April 2022 |title=Internet 'algospeak' is changing our language in real time, from 'nip nops' to 'le dollar bean' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/04/08/algospeak-tiktok-le-dollar-bean/ |access-date=2 January 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> Euphemisms like "cheese pizza" are used to refer to child pornography.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Levine |first=Alexandra S. |title=From Camping To Cheese Pizza, 'Algospeak' Is Taking Over Social Media |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/alexandralevine/2022/09/16/algospeak-social-media-survey/ |access-date=2023-08-27 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref>

On TikTok, moderation decisions can result in consequences such as account bans and deletion or delisting of videos from the main video discovery page, called the "For You" page. In response, a TikTok spokeswoman told ''The New York Times'' that the users' fears are misplaced, saying that many popular videos discuss sex-adjacent topics.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Delkic |first=Melina |date=2022-11-19 |title=Leg Booty? Panoramic? Seggs? How TikTok Is Changing Language |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/19/style/tiktok-avoid-moderators-words.html |access-date=2024-04-16 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

== 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.<ref name="Stano" /> Other similar adoption of obfuscated speech include Cockney rhyming slang and Polari, which historically were used by London gangs and British gay men.<ref name=":2" /> However, unlike other forms of obfuscated speech, the global reach of social media has allowed the language to spread beyond local settings.<ref name="Stano" />

Techniques used in algospeak are extremely diverse. In orthography, users may draw from leetspeak, where letters are replaced with lookalike characters (e.g. $3X for ''sex'').<ref name="Stano" /> Certain words or names may be censored, or in the case of auditory media, cut off or bleeped,{{Efn|Bleep censor is commonly implemented in the editing process of TV production, mostly for censoring out obscene language, rather than by YouTube and TikTok video authors themselves.|group=lower-alpha}} e.g., ''s*icide'' instead of ''suicide''. Another method involves "pseudo-substitution", where an item is censored in one form, while it is present in another form at the same time, as seen in videos.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Willenberg |first=Merle |date=March 2024 |title=TW: su1(1d3 -Multimodal Self-Censorship on YouTube |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/379119607 |access-date=January 28, 2025 |website=ResearchGate}}</ref> Some may involve intersemiotic translation, where non-linguistic signs are interpreted linguistically, in addition to further obfuscation. For example, the corn emoji "🌽" may signify pornography by means of '''p'''orn{{nbsp}}→{{nbsp}}'''c'''orn{{nbsp}}→{{nbsp}}🌽.<ref name="Stano" /> Others may rely on phonological similarity or variation, such as ''homophobic''{{nbsp}}→{{nbsp}}''hydrophobic'', and ''sexy''{{nbsp}}→{{nbsp}}''seggsy'' via intervocalic voicing.<ref name=":1" /> On Chinese social media, users sometimes replace sensitive terms with characters that differ only in tone. For example, 细颈瓶 (xì jǐng píng, literally "narrow-necked bottle") is used as a stand-in for the name of General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xí Jìnpíng.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hughes |first1=Brianne |last2=Calhoun |first2=Kendra |last3=Fawcett |first3=Alexia |last4=Wright |first4=Kelly E. |last5=Zimmer |first5=Benjamin |last6=Brewster |first6=Emily |last7=McLean |first7=Jaidan |last8=Zhang |first8=Lynn |date=2024-02-01 |title=Among the New Words |url=https://read.dukeupress.edu/american-speech/article/99/1/78/386534/Among-the-New-Words |journal=American Speech |language=en |volume=99 |issue=1 |pages=78–90 |doi=10.1215/00031283-11186920 |issn=0003-1283}}</ref>

In an interview study, most creators that were interviewed suspected TikTok's automated moderation was scanning the audio as well, leading them to also use algospeak terms in speech. Some also label sensitive images with innocuous captions using algospeak, such as captioning a scantily-dressed body as "fake body".<ref name="social" /> The use of gestures and emojis are common in algospeak, showing that it is not limited to written communication.<ref name=":4">{{cite book |last1=Klug |first1=Daniel |title=Companion Proceedings of the ACM Web Conference 2022 |last2=Steen |first2=Ella |last3=Yurechko |first3=Kathryn |date=2022 |isbn=9781450394192 |pages=234–237 |chapter=How Algorithm Awareness Impacts Algospeak Use on TikTok |doi=10.1145/3543873.3587355 |access-date=2 January 2024 |chapter-url=https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3543873.3587355 |s2cid=258377709}}</ref> A notable example is the use of the watermelon emoji on social media as a pro-Palestinian symbol in place of the Palestinian flag in order to avoid censorship by Facebook and Instagram.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Giulia |first=Carbonaro |date=12 December 2023 |title=Meta's social media platforms are systemically censoring pro-Palestine content, NGO finds |url=https://www.euronews.com/next/2023/12/21/metas-social-media-platforms-are-systemically-censoring-pro-palestine-content-ngo-finds |website=Euronews Next}}</ref> Black creators may simply present their light-colored palms to the camera to stand in for white people, and flip them to stand in for black people.<ref name=":1" />

== Impact and detection == A 2022 poll showed that nearly a third of American social media users reported using "emojis or alternative phrases" to subvert content moderation.<ref name=":3" />

Algospeak can lead to misunderstandings. A high-profile incident occurred when American actress Julia Fox made a seemingly unsympathetic comment on a TikTok post mentioning "mascara", not knowing its obfuscated meaning of sexual abuse. Fox later apologized for her comment.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Noyce |first=Eleanor |date=2023-02-02 |title=The 'mascara' trend is empowering people to discuss sexual assault on TikTok – but are code-words enough? |url=https://www.glamourmagazine.co.uk/article/mascara-trend-tiktok-sexual-assault |access-date=2024-12-22 |website=Glamour UK |language=en-GB}}</ref> In an interview study, creators shared that the evolving nature of content moderation pressures them to constantly innovate their use of algospeak, which makes them feel less authentic.<ref name=":4" />

A 2024 study showed that GPT-4, a large language model, can often identify and decipher algospeak, especially with example sentences.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Fillies |first1=Jan |last2=Paschke |first2=Adrian |date=2024 |title=Simple LLM based Approach to Counter Algospeak |url=https://aclanthology.org/2024.woah-1.10/ |journal=Proceedings of the 8th Workshop on Online Abuse and Harms (WOAH 2024) |language=en |publisher=Association for Computational Linguistics |pages=136–145 |doi=10.18653/v1/2024.woah-1.10|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Another study shows that sentiment analysis models often rate negative comments incorporating simple letter–number substitution and extraneous hyphenation more positively.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Leal-Arenas |first1=Sebastian |last2=Corizzo |first2=Roberto |chapter=Assessing the Impact of Algospeak on Sentiment Analysis Models |date=2024-10-14 |title=2024 IEEE Digital Platforms and Societal Harms (DPSH) |publisher=IEEE |pages=1–7 |doi=10.1109/DPSH60098.2024.10775228 |isbn=979-8-3503-5130-9}}</ref>

== Examples ==  According to ''The New York Times'':<ref name=":0" />

* ''(to) unalive, unalived'' – to kill; killed, dead.<ref name="aleksic-2026">{{cite book |last1=Aleksic |first1=Adam |title=Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language |date=15 July 2025 |publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group |isbn=9780593804070 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0sIpEQAAQBAJ |access-date=28 June 2025}}</ref> * ''accountant'' – sex worker * ''cornucopia'' – homophobia * ''le dollar bean'' – lesbian, as derived from the written form Le$bian * ''leg booty'' – the LGBTQ+ community * ''nip nops'' – nipples * ''panini'', ''panoramic'' – a pandemic, especially the COVID-19 pandemic<ref>{{Cite news |last=Brown |first=Evan Nicole |date=2021-03-19 |title=How Nicknames for the Pandemic Became a Popular Online Trend |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/19/style/pandemic-nicknames.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=2024-10-03}}</ref> * ''seggs'' – sex

Other examples:<ref>{{cite web |last=Tellez |first=Anthony |title='Mascara,' 'Unalive,' 'Corn': What Common Social Media Algospeak Words Actually Mean |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonytellez/2023/01/31/mascara-unalive-corn-what-common-social-media-algospeak-words-actually-mean/?sh=634d52092a08 |website=Forbes |access-date=2 January 2024}}</ref><ref name="social" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Dharmawan |first=((Gabrielle '25)) |title=People Aren't Guitars, So Why Are We Calling Them Acoustic? |url=https://ehseagleseye.com/13117/uncategorized/people-arent-guitars-so-why-are-we-calling-them-acoustic/ |website=The Eagle's Eye |access-date=2025-06-27}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=When you die, are you 'unalived'? The strange world of social media algospeak |url=https://www.heraldscotland.com/opinion/24477033.would-unalive-tiktok-pdf-file-given-chance-/ |website=The Herald |date=2024-07-25 |access-date=2025-08-15 |language=en}}</ref>

{{div col start}} * ''acoustic, artistic, 'tism'' – autistic * ''blink in lio'' – link in bio * ''camping'' – abortion * ''cheese pizza'' – child pornography * ''fork'' – fuck * ''grape'' – rape * ''Yahtzee'' – Nazi<ref>{{Cite web |title=Modération de contenu : Comment réguler amplifie ce qu’on censure {{!}} Noos Systemic |url=https://noos.media/numerique/moderation-contenu-effet-amplification/ |access-date=2026-02-04 |language=fr-FR}}</ref> * ''juice'' – Jews * ''pew pew'' – guns<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-11-20 |title=The words you can't say on the internet |url=https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20251118-the-words-you-cant-say-on-the-internet |access-date=2026-02-04 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en-GB}}</ref> *''Keep Yourself Safe'' – abbreviates to 'KYS', which also stands for 'kill yourself' * ''music festival'' – protest<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lotz |first=Avery |date=2025-08-14 |title='Music Festival': The Internet's Protest Code Word |url=https://www.axios.com/2025/08/14/dc-protests-festivals-tiktok-code-word |website=Axios |access-date=2025-08-17 |language=en}}</ref> * ''mustache man'', ''Austrian painter'' – Adolf Hitler * ''opposite of love'' – hatred * ''ouid'' – weed * ''Panda Express'' – pandemic * ''PDF file'' or ''PDF'' – pedophile * ''pinwheel'' – Swastika * ''regarded, restarted'' – retarded * ''sewer slide'' – suicide * ''shmex'' – sex * ''yt'' – White people (as in whitey), though ''yt'' is also a common abbreviation for YouTube {{div col end}}

==See also== * {{Annotated link|Cant (language)}} * {{Annotated link|Chilling effect}} * Dog whistle (politics) – Political messaging using coded language * Euphemisms for Internet censorship in China * Internet censorship * {{Annotated link|Koalang}} * Newspeak

== Notes == {{Notelist}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links == * "[https://open.spotify.com/episode/67gUlcIdLrpSYj8uICV62U?go=1&sp_cid=6a617472a387d078d1676dd1c88c20e0 How Algorithms Are Changing the Way We Speak]", ''Creative Control''—''Fast Company'' podcast episode on Spotify

Category:2020s slang Category:Cant languages Category:Internet censorship Category:Internet culture Category:Obfuscation Category:Culture of TikTok