SPECIMEN #2025-K: Algospeak: Linguistic Evolution in Algorithmic Ecosystems

• In Event: Digital Ecologies of Hope: A Natural History of Emerging Media Futures

Abstract

This research examines how digital communities develop linguistic adaptations to circumvent algorithmic content moderation through "algospeak"—coded language maintaining visibility while avoiding detection. Through analysis of terms like "le dollar bean" (lesbian) and "cute winter boots" (political resistance), this study reveals sophisticated collective responses to platform censorship. Users create shared vocabularies balancing authenticity with algorithmic survival, developing terminologies that evolve rapidly to stay ahead of automated detection. The practice represents creative assertion of agency within monitored communication environments, demonstrating how constraint generates innovation. Unlike earlier internet wordplay, algospeak emerges from uncertainty about shadowbanning, creating defensive strategies against algorithmic erasure. These linguistic mutations enable marginalized communities to maintain connection despite policies that often silence their voices. This research contributes to understanding digital resistance forms, revealing community resilience in maintaining communication networks and documenting ongoing tensions between platform control and user agency.

Author

• Shell Avenant, Teachers College, Columbia University