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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
Really interesting, engaging book tackling the enormous concept of how the internet has influenced language and how it will continue to do so. McCulloch takes an almost anthropological outlook at setting the stage and establishing the levels of variance regarding how (and at what juncture) people came to know life with the internet. What I truly found wonderful was McCulloch's obvious enthusiasm for linguistics—a regular (and clearly nicer) Professor Henry Higgins.
A perfect intersection of my interests in linguistics, internet culture, and nostalgia. Must read for any Full Internet Person, at the very least.
funny
informative
fast-paced
Just delightful as well as being fascinating and informative!
14 day loans from the library beat out everything else I'm already reading.
Picked this up because I heard an interview with the author on NPR and wanted to further investigate the transition of a period from a neutral way to end a thought into something passive aggressive. I have younger nieces and, as someone who came in during the second/third wave of internet people (Oregon Trail generation, me, so my first internet dabblings were AOL RP chat rooms) where correct punctuation/capitalization were essential if you didn't want people making fun of you, I'm adjusting to the new norms and, basically, don't want my nieces to think I'm mad at them.
This book, while interesting, was not quite what I was looking for. Saying that, I'm having a hard time putting my finger on what I WAS looking for... maybe more of a how-to (what exactly are the new rules of language and how do I apply them), or a more in-depth look at how language is changing. This one gives more of an overview, presenting the theory that a new means of communication necessitates a new flavor of communication. That said, it's not un-useful. It was a lot of information I kinda subconsciously knew but hadn't actually consciously thought about, and that, in itself, was handy.
Picked this up because I heard an interview with the author on NPR and wanted to further investigate the transition of a period from a neutral way to end a thought into something passive aggressive. I have younger nieces and, as someone who came in during the second/third wave of internet people (Oregon Trail generation, me, so my first internet dabblings were AOL RP chat rooms) where correct punctuation/capitalization were essential if you didn't want people making fun of you, I'm adjusting to the new norms and, basically, don't want my nieces to think I'm mad at them.
This book, while interesting, was not quite what I was looking for. Saying that, I'm having a hard time putting my finger on what I WAS looking for... maybe more of a how-to (what exactly are the new rules of language and how do I apply them), or a more in-depth look at how language is changing. This one gives more of an overview, presenting the theory that a new means of communication necessitates a new flavor of communication. That said, it's not un-useful. It was a lot of information I kinda subconsciously knew but hadn't actually consciously thought about, and that, in itself, was handy.
besides other things, i am an amateur linguistics nerd and a full internet person, so this was right up my alley. the book is about the rise of informal writing, how it is now semi-public and thus available for study, and how we, internet users, adapt the technological capabilities of a computer or a smartphone to better communicate with others in writing. now i would love to see this kind of analysis for other languages! wonder if there are any student papers on the spelling and punctuation choices of latvian internet people, such as not using diacritical marks or commas or capital letters. this book is also useful for fighting back claims such as "young people are ruining the language" or whatever, bc it instead celebrates the creativity of people and the changes that come with it.
this book was amusing and had interesting tidbits but MAN it was tedious a lot of the time. i think my favorite part was learning how the telephone forced society to think of a new collective greeting, which turned out to be hello. and how alexander graham bell proposed ahoy!!! cuz i guess before telephones you always knew who you were addressing and what time of day it was, so you’d say “good morning, mother” or something, but when you got a call, you had no idea who was on the line or what time of day it was for them, so a neutral option had to exist
As a person with a pre-existing interest in Linguistics as well as a self identified internet-dewlling millennial, this book was right up my alley. I'd been listening to Gretchen McCulloch's podcast, Lingthusiasm, prior to reading so I already knew I'd love the tone of this book, but I didn't expect to not be able to shut up about it! Because Internet was so compelling and so fascinating that I couldn't help but gush about it to every person I spoke to for about a month straight, this is the first book I've read in my life where I felt the need to highlight and take notes and reread passages, not because I didn't understand, but because I wanted to make sure I fully understood everything. tl:dr is: A+ book, 10/10 would recommend!!!11!!
I really appreciated the author’s patience in explaining generational evolution in language and all the illustrations of how different generations have used different technologies to communicate, as well as intergenerational misunderstandings that can arise from these factors. The emphasis on different times at which cohorts were first exposed to the internet was fascinating too. Admittedly at times the book was slow going and sometimes the tone was still off for me; I wish there had been more examination of gender and race in internet communication (both are definitely touched on, and would be great sequels!). Overall an enlightening and recommended read.