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willy0_o's review against another edition
It was too pop for me. Her audience is too general, too uninformed about linguistics. I wanted her to go deeper maybe. Idk it just didn’t really interest me. Her references for internet speak were too old/millennial, and that makes sense. It was published pre pandemic and was prob written years before. It’s hard to write a book that captures the moment. I might return to it
ponch22's review against another edition
4.0
I added this ebook to my Overdrive hold shelf after hearing [a:Gretchen McCulloch|17391188|Gretchen McCulloch|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1550772888p2/17391188.jpg] on one podcast and hearing more about her book [b:Because Internet|36739320|Because Internet Understanding the New Rules of Language|Gretchen McCulloch|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1547222587l/36739320._SY75_.jpg|58531406] on another. It came off hold a lot quicker than I expected a new release to, and so I had to really try to make time to read it every day to finish before the 3-week loan was up.
(I didn't quite make it and had to put my Kindle on Airplane Mode to prevent the book from disappearing... I even lost some of my final chapter highlights since I was highlighting off-line.)
The book felt like something this part-time proofreader would love—a study of language and how it's changing with the rise of the internet!
⌒°(❛ᴗ❛)°⌒
And, while parts of the book were fascinating reads, other parts felt—I can't quite remember... (THIS is why I usually try to write these reviews right when I finish reading!).
The book takes an academic-like approach—presenting an idea or thesis, citing research (NOTE: the footnotes here weren't as fun to read as those in [a:Ken Jennings|45003|Ken Jennings|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1353968375p2/45003.jpg]'s [b:Planet Funny|36373629|Planet Funny How Comedy Took Over Our Culture|Ken Jennings|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527540331l/36373629._SY75_.jpg|58060881]), drawing conclusions—but I feel like sometimes the chapters got kind of stuck in a rut... Two or three pages went by and McCulloch was still repeating the same point again and again instead of providing new examples or moving the argument forward? (I think that sort of summarizes my disappointment and what kept it from being 5*)
(ಥ﹏ಥ)
But if you have any interest in the internet, language, linguistics, or what makes memes so popular, then this book may teach you something.
(I didn't quite make it and had to put my Kindle on Airplane Mode to prevent the book from disappearing... I even lost some of my final chapter highlights since I was highlighting off-line.)
The book felt like something this part-time proofreader would love—a study of language and how it's changing with the rise of the internet!
⌒°(❛ᴗ❛)°⌒
And, while parts of the book were fascinating reads, other parts felt—I can't quite remember... (THIS is why I usually try to write these reviews right when I finish reading!).
The book takes an academic-like approach—presenting an idea or thesis, citing research (NOTE: the footnotes here weren't as fun to read as those in [a:Ken Jennings|45003|Ken Jennings|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1353968375p2/45003.jpg]'s [b:Planet Funny|36373629|Planet Funny How Comedy Took Over Our Culture|Ken Jennings|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527540331l/36373629._SY75_.jpg|58060881]), drawing conclusions—but I feel like sometimes the chapters got kind of stuck in a rut... Two or three pages went by and McCulloch was still repeating the same point again and again instead of providing new examples or moving the argument forward? (I think that sort of summarizes my disappointment and what kept it from being 5*)
(ಥ﹏ಥ)
But if you have any interest in the internet, language, linguistics, or what makes memes so popular, then this book may teach you something.
ellabynight's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
4.5
megamind's review against another edition
5.0
Super interesting! I'm not a linguist, I just have a very minor interest in it, and this was just very cool and informative.
saraanneb3's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the best books I’ve ever read. I found it thrilling, I was filled with joy reading it. Her linguist analysis is, of course, excellent, but she also includes a little bit of internet history, so I learned a lot, and she approaches her subject with such enthusiasm and hope that it made me hopeful.
cindypepper's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting look at how Internet culture and linguistics have evolved over time. This is the book I'd make my not-as-online friends read, because it distills several unspoken tenets and mores of Internet-speak, such as the passive aggression of a period in an instant message or the use of tildes to communicate either enthusiasm or sarcasm (depending on which culture we're talking about). It's an interesting dissection, but because all of it already feels familiar to me (I'm in the second wave of Internet people, don't @ me), reading about your own behavior in the lens of a nonfic book gets pretty dry. Still, it's neat to read through this and witness just how much Internet culture has shaped language and vice-versa, even in the past few years.