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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
4/5 stars
This was so full of facts and thoughtful analyses that gave me new views and ideas to ponder in relation to the internet! McCulloch has an infectious sense of delight and wonder for the internet and how people communicate on it/through it. I'm feeling unashamed of emoji use now! More emoji for all! She has some really great metaphors and similes for discussing internet phenomena that I never would have considered.
Not quite a 5/5 for me because I found the endnote style a little frustrating (how to know if something discussed has an endnote without pausing to flip to the endnotes to check!), and because I find her view of the internet to be a little rosy. She does touch on, say, toxic subreddits briefly, but generally there's not much engagement with how the deviant population uses internet language or how misinformation is spread; those topics are somewhat outside her scope but ultimately tied (the medium is the message).
If you enjoy learning about linguistics and want to see that framework applied to Internet language, run, don't walk.
This was so full of facts and thoughtful analyses that gave me new views and ideas to ponder in relation to the internet! McCulloch has an infectious sense of delight and wonder for the internet and how people communicate on it/through it. I'm feeling unashamed of emoji use now! More emoji for all! She has some really great metaphors and similes for discussing internet phenomena that I never would have considered.
Not quite a 5/5 for me because I found the endnote style a little frustrating (how to know if something discussed has an endnote without pausing to flip to the endnotes to check!), and because I find her view of the internet to be a little rosy. She does touch on, say, toxic subreddits briefly, but generally there's not much engagement with how the deviant population uses internet language or how misinformation is spread; those topics are somewhat outside her scope but ultimately tied (the medium is the message).
If you enjoy learning about linguistics and want to see that framework applied to Internet language, run, don't walk.
informative
medium-paced
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Awesome book! I don't have much background in linguistics but found this very readable and entertaining. I thought the author had a great understanding of modern internet language and it was really cool to get an analysis of the language used on the internet, as well as a history of different trends and cultures. Honestly this was somehow both an academically oriented book and a page turner - overall fantastic.
hopeful
informative
Because Internet is a really interesting, reflective look at the way that Internet usage has changed and our language has changed with it. Some of the best parts of the book were the fun facts about the origins of words I truly take for granted, and I couldn't help but think of my own Internet use growing up and today and how that matches to the categories of people proposed by the author.
Of course, this book isn't a dictionary and there are elements missing. The section about memes, for instance, interestingly didn't talk about rage comics, which seems like a natural segue to the modern use of emojis, but this book is not a definitive collection and does not claim to.
I think the biggest thing holding me back from rating it higher is that the author had two stated purposes for this book: allowing people who know Internet-speak to reflect and those who don't to start to understand. While I think the first goal was successful, I can't help but feel that if someone had an open mind about the Internet and its effect on language, they'd still be a bit confused. The humor used throughout this book relies heavily on Internet lingo and jokes, which seems at odds with its goal of explaining things. I am, of course, an Internet user and have been since childhood, so perhaps I'm not giving people enough of the benefit of the doubt, but I couldn't help feeling that way when I finished.
Nonetheless, Because Internet is a really interesting book if you want to be more reflective about your own language use in the digital age.
Of course, this book isn't a dictionary and there are elements missing. The section about memes, for instance, interestingly didn't talk about rage comics, which seems like a natural segue to the modern use of emojis, but this book is not a definitive collection and does not claim to.
I think the biggest thing holding me back from rating it higher is that the author had two stated purposes for this book: allowing people who know Internet-speak to reflect and those who don't to start to understand. While I think the first goal was successful, I can't help but feel that if someone had an open mind about the Internet and its effect on language, they'd still be a bit confused. The humor used throughout this book relies heavily on Internet lingo and jokes, which seems at odds with its goal of explaining things. I am, of course, an Internet user and have been since childhood, so perhaps I'm not giving people enough of the benefit of the doubt, but I couldn't help feeling that way when I finished.
Nonetheless, Because Internet is a really interesting book if you want to be more reflective about your own language use in the digital age.
informative
reflective
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
informative
fast-paced