Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
informative
fast-paced
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
I was a little scared going into this book because while this book covers a topic that deeply interests me, I don't have much of a background in linguistics at all. However, rest easy because this book really only dips its toes into the waters of linguistic jargon.
Reading it, a lot of it felt familiar to me as well thanks to a course I took on the anthropology of language and media. Not only does Because Internet look at how the way we use language has changed, but also the reasons and its deeply social roots. Language is interconnected with everything. We acquire it through others and so it is only natural that it is through our communities and social circles that it changes and evolves.
As someone who is on the cusp of Full Internet Person and Post Internet Person and is incredibly Online, this book gave me great insight into why I speak the way that I do online and the way that I use language online as well. There's an entire chapter on memes, which was very historical memeage as it covered the era of the lolcat speak and the classic Impact font atop set images. (I would like to note that reading the lolcat speak was very cringe though it reminded me of uwu speak).
Perhaps the most interesting portion of the book and one that I would have loved to read more of, is the chapter on typographical tone of voice. It was a fascinating chapter and really resonated with me and the way I "speak" on social media platforms and what not.
Reading it, a lot of it felt familiar to me as well thanks to a course I took on the anthropology of language and media. Not only does Because Internet look at how the way we use language has changed, but also the reasons and its deeply social roots. Language is interconnected with everything. We acquire it through others and so it is only natural that it is through our communities and social circles that it changes and evolves.
As someone who is on the cusp of Full Internet Person and Post Internet Person and is incredibly Online, this book gave me great insight into why I speak the way that I do online and the way that I use language online as well. There's an entire chapter on memes, which was very historical memeage as it covered the era of the lolcat speak and the classic Impact font atop set images. (I would like to note that reading the lolcat speak was very cringe though it reminded me of uwu speak).
Perhaps the most interesting portion of the book and one that I would have loved to read more of, is the chapter on typographical tone of voice. It was a fascinating chapter and really resonated with me and the way I "speak" on social media platforms and what not.
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
It was a nice collection of nostalgia but not really a new take I didn't already inherently know.
funny
informative
fast-paced
I've been slowing making my way through this and finally finished it up -- what a delight! I think the most interesting thing to me is the framing of how informal language has always been there but only recently has it become easier/possible to study and measure how it is changing.
Linguistics has long been a big interest of mine, especially linguistic anthropology. It was one of the first classes I ever took in college, and it hooked me in immediately. Now I'm #blessed to be studying anthropology in one of the best programs in the world. Whenever I do interviews for ethnographic assignments, I always cringe at how my voice/language sounds. Nothing makes you more aware and self-conscious of how you sound than listening to recordings of yourself. One of the big ways I speak and understand the world, like many younger people, has been through the internet. The internet has woven it's way into the fabric of everyday life for millions if not billions of people. This book does a great job of taking internet language seriously without brushing it off as stupid or irrelevant. Whether you're a citizen of the internet or staunch technophobe, there's still something to be gained from this book!
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
This was a good read and expanded my perspective of language and the internet. I found it really interesting to read about changes that happened when I was part of them, like the change in meaning from LOL to lol, and when emojis became a thing and the media was obsessed with them.
I enjoyed learning why the often published fear "teens won't know how to spell because they use TXTSPK!!" was unfounded, that was a particular highlight.
It was odd revisiting the heyday of memes, Advice Animals were HUGE for a year or so there and then suddenly became dated and uncool. Fun to reflect on.
I enjoyed learning why the often published fear "teens won't know how to spell because they use TXTSPK!!" was unfounded, that was a particular highlight.
It was odd revisiting the heyday of memes, Advice Animals were HUGE for a year or so there and then suddenly became dated and uncool. Fun to reflect on.