Episode
Inside The Viral Words That Make You Click - Etymology Nerd - #1086
- Podcast
- Modern Wisdom
- Published
- Apr 18, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 5746
- Processing state
processed
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Summary
Adam Aleksic is a linguist, content creator, and author, best known online as the Etymology Nerd. What’s happening to language right now? Words like “rizz” and “skibidi” can make it feel like you’re out of the loop, but are you actually getting older, or has the internet transformed language into something entirely new? What does the science of linguistics say about this shift? Expect to learn why 6-7 was voted word of the year for 2025, why TikTok is becoming the most powerful linguistic engine on Earth, if there is a science to meme language, why funny language spreads and what makes it stick, why we should care about linguistics, and much more… Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals Get 10% discount on all Gymshark products at https://gym.sh/modernwisdom (use code MODERNWISDOM10) Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period from Shopify at https://shopify.com/modernwisdom Get 15% off your first order of my favourite Non-Alcoholic Brew at https://athleticbrewing.com/modernwisdom Get ChatGPT to explore ideas, solve problems, and learn faster at https://chatgpt.com Timestamps: (0:00) The Truth Behind “Word of the Year” (2:31) Is TikTok Rewiring How We Speak? (3:27) Do Social Platforms Create Their Own Dialects? (5:34) The Hidden Formula Behind Influencer Language (13:47) Why MrBeast Changes His Voice (17:01) Internet Subcultures and Their Unique Languages (18:33) How Newscasters Engineered Their Signature Voice (21:12) Why Sports Commentators Sound So Distinct (22:38) Is Distribution Is the Key to Going Viral? (26:44) Can You Hear Sexuality in Someone’s Voice? (33:38) Are Lesbi…