Algospeak [lower-alpha 1] is the use of coded expressions to evade automated moderation algorithms on social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. Users use algospeak to discuss topics deemed sensitive to moderation algorithms while avoiding penalties such as shadow banning. A type of internet slang, [3] Calhoun and Fawcett described it as a "linguistic self-censorship". [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [1] [11]
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. [4] Tiktok, in particular, employs human moderators and artificial intelligence, in addition to reviewing user reports. 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 it being contradictory and "inconsistent". [3] In addition, AI may miss important context. Communities who aid people who struggle with self-harm or suicidal thoughts may inadvertantly get caught in the automated moderation. [7] and the black box model of AIs makes it opaque to research. [3]
Algospeak is different from other types of netspeak in that its primary purpose is to avoid moderation, instead of helping to create communal identity, though algospeak may be used in online communities. [3]
As of 2022 according to Forbes, almost a third of American social media users reported using "emojis or alternative phrases" to subvert content moderation. [12]
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). [1]
Tiktok users have used algospeak to discuss and provide support to those who self-harm. [13]
According to New York Times : [6]
Doublespeak is language that deliberately obscures, disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words. Doublespeak may take the form of euphemisms, in which case it is primarily meant to make the truth sound more palatable. It may also refer to intentional ambiguity in language or to actual inversions of meaning. In such cases, doublespeak disguises the nature of the truth.
A euphemism is an innocuous word or expression used in place of one that is deemed offensive or suggests something unpleasant. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the user wishes to downplay. Euphemisms may be used to mask profanity or refer to topics some consider taboo such as mental or physical disability, sexual intercourse, bodily excretions, pain, violence, illness, or death in a polite way.
Leet, also known as eleet or leetspeak, is a system of modified spellings used primarily on the Internet. It often uses character replacements in ways that play on the similarity of their glyphs via reflection or other resemblance. Additionally, it modifies certain words on the basis of a system of suffixes and alternative meanings. There are many dialects or linguistic varieties in different online communities.
Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms and websites to promote a product or service. Although the terms e-marketing and digital marketing are still dominant in academia, social media marketing is becoming more popular for both practitioners and researchers.
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Viral phenomena or viral sensation are objects or patterns that are able to replicate themselves or convert other objects into copies of themselves when these objects are exposed to them. Analogous to the way in which viruses propagate, the term viral pertains to a video, image, or written content spreading to numerous online users within a short time period. This concept has become a common way to describe how thoughts, information, and trends move into and through a human population.
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