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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
In Because Internet, Gretchen McCulloch uses her expertise as a linguist and her passion as a born-and-bred internet user to explore some of the most fascinating aspects of online language. McCulloch does a great job of diving fairly deep into linguistic topics without getting too wonky, and manages to leaven the whole thing with plenty of humor. As a bonus, her reading of the audiobook was terrific. Highly recommended!
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I understand this is a highly delusional, self-absorbed claim, but: this book was absolutely written for me. I'm sure McCulloch caught onto highschool-me raving about the many quirks and peculiarities of Internet Language — like the transformation of "lol" from acronym to almost a word of its own, the nuanced uses of memes and emojis in informal communication, along with a number of other phenomenons I myself partook in as a person who was (and is) chronically Online — and decided to write a book that touches on exactly those things. I mean: this book is so perfectly suited to my interests, it's uncanny.
Because Internet is such a delight: it's entertaining and informative, as well as highly relatable for anyone who regularly uses the internet to socialise or is aware of internet culture. McCulloch, who has a master's in linguistics and is particularly interested in internet linguistics, clearly knows what she is talking about; but more than that, it's her enthusiasm, awe and curiosity that shine through in her narration and make this book so enjoyable.
Her tone is lighthearted and playful, never taking herself too seriously, while also providing research (both peer-reviewed studies and more informal Twitter polls she's conducted herself) to back up and/or concretise her claims. Also, it is So refreshing to hear someone speak about internet culture and the internet's effect on language without any pretentiousness or condescension.
And the things she writes about!! There's the evolution of internet culture; minimalist punctuation; the expression of sarcasm, and tone in general, via text; emojis as semantic expressions of gestures; the ominous "..." often prevalent in text messages from older generations; the emphatic use of repeating letters. There's also the history of memes, generational characteristics in Internet behaviour, linguistic displays of politeness online — all of this and more within about 320 pages (of which the last 20% consist of an index, references and acknowledgement).
I very rarely choose to read non-fiction (not counting course literature), so the fact that I finished this book within two days is very telling for how engrossing it was. Of course, any reader's experience will depend on their interest in the subject matter and how exciting they find, say, a detailed exploration of why the ~ symbol is often used to convey sarcasm, or a description of the history of the hashtag. I'm biased, but I also genuinely think McCulloch has done a terrific job with this book.
My complaints are few:
* The chapter about memes was very much just a detailing of the history of memes, followed by musings on the outskirts of the concept of memes? The semantic use of memes was one of the things I most looked forward to reading about, but I feel like McCulloch skipped over a huge chunk of this fascinating subject and instead went off on multiple tangents. Granted, the book covers enough ground for this to be a minor complaint of mine, and the topic of memes and language probably warrants a book of its own, but the chapter doesn't really touch on how memes are used, text-based memes (as opposed to images) or the way meme phrases/words often infiltrate the rest of language online. Like how the Spongebob meme was used to indicate sarcasm, both typographically by alternating upper- and lowercase within a word, and also just by referencing the image itself.
* Personally, more subheadings throughout the text would've been very helpful lol.
Anyway: this book gets 5 stars - for McCulloch's expertise, her warm, enthusiastic narration, and the sheer number of fascinating things she touches on in regards to internet linguistics – not to mention how the content seems to be almost tailored to my interests.
Thank u Gretchen McCulloch!! Now please write a book on memes!
When we thought of language like a book, we thought of it as an unruly mess of words that had to be kept in order, like a Victorian gardener constantly retrimming the hedges into spirals and globes. When we think of language like a network, we can see order as a thing that emerges out of the natural tendencies of the individuals, the way that a forest keeps itself in order even though it doesn't get pruned and weeded.
Because Internet is such a delight: it's entertaining and informative, as well as highly relatable for anyone who regularly uses the internet to socialise or is aware of internet culture. McCulloch, who has a master's in linguistics and is particularly interested in internet linguistics, clearly knows what she is talking about; but more than that, it's her enthusiasm, awe and curiosity that shine through in her narration and make this book so enjoyable.
Her tone is lighthearted and playful, never taking herself too seriously, while also providing research (both peer-reviewed studies and more informal Twitter polls she's conducted herself) to back up and/or concretise her claims. Also, it is So refreshing to hear someone speak about internet culture and the internet's effect on language without any pretentiousness or condescension.
And the things she writes about!! There's the evolution of internet culture; minimalist punctuation; the expression of sarcasm, and tone in general, via text; emojis as semantic expressions of gestures; the ominous "..." often prevalent in text messages from older generations; the emphatic use of repeating letters. There's also the history of memes, generational characteristics in Internet behaviour, linguistic displays of politeness online — all of this and more within about 320 pages (of which the last 20% consist of an index, references and acknowledgement).
I very rarely choose to read non-fiction (not counting course literature), so the fact that I finished this book within two days is very telling for how engrossing it was. Of course, any reader's experience will depend on their interest in the subject matter and how exciting they find, say, a detailed exploration of why the ~ symbol is often used to convey sarcasm, or a description of the history of the hashtag. I'm biased, but I also genuinely think McCulloch has done a terrific job with this book.
My complaints are few:
* The chapter about memes was very much just a detailing of the history of memes, followed by musings on the outskirts of the concept of memes? The semantic use of memes was one of the things I most looked forward to reading about, but I feel like McCulloch skipped over a huge chunk of this fascinating subject and instead went off on multiple tangents. Granted, the book covers enough ground for this to be a minor complaint of mine, and the topic of memes and language probably warrants a book of its own, but the chapter doesn't really touch on how memes are used, text-based memes (as opposed to images) or the way meme phrases/words often infiltrate the rest of language online. Like how the Spongebob meme was used to indicate sarcasm, both typographically by alternating upper- and lowercase within a word, and also just by referencing the image itself.
* Personally, more subheadings throughout the text would've been very helpful lol.
Anyway: this book gets 5 stars - for McCulloch's expertise, her warm, enthusiastic narration, and the sheer number of fascinating things she touches on in regards to internet linguistics – not to mention how the content seems to be almost tailored to my interests.
Thank u Gretchen McCulloch!! Now please write a book on memes!
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
So, audiobooking about about typed communication wasn’t my most brilliant move so far this year. Nevertheless, Because Internet was entertaining and enlightening. The chapter in the emergence and use of emojis from a linguistics researcher’s point of view was really interesting, as were the discussions of formal and informal language. As someone who’s been “very online” since high school, this book also made me feel old. 😂
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
My oldest son gave this book to me one Christmas, many many years ago, ;) ... and I've been gradually getting through it to the point where the new rules of language don't necessarily feel that new. My bad. Seriously it is, because while it took me nearly two years to finish this book, I actually did enjoy it.
My nonfiction reading generally tends to be historical research necessary for writing historical fiction. I am predominantly a fiction reader with fiction review goals, while my son... is not. Still, we manage to have meaningful conversations within an extended family that spans from the Silent Generation to the future--what are they, Alphas, now? I don't know yet, but the internet plays its role in keeping us together in spite of our vast differences when it comes to social media language. We share memes and catchphrases, movie quotes, and we often ask questions like "WTF is FUBAR?" or "What do you mean, 'You lost the game?' What game?" (For those who just lost the game, you're welcome...)
Language is meant to evolve, and this book breaks down why we need to accept this by focusing on the evolution of internet and social media language in particular. It gives a little nod to every generation for the complex nature of evolving language and their role in its progress. It might give older generations a better perspective on why, say, a period after a texted sentence is potentially a faux pas. Personally as a writer, I'm not fully accepting of the elimination of punctuation in text threads. Sue me. I was born before '69 (nice). But with the internet influence on the ever evolving fluidity of our language, maybe those Millennials, Gen Zs and Alphas (?) will one day change their minds. Gen X and the Boomers can only hope.
My nonfiction reading generally tends to be historical research necessary for writing historical fiction. I am predominantly a fiction reader with fiction review goals, while my son... is not. Still, we manage to have meaningful conversations within an extended family that spans from the Silent Generation to the future--what are they, Alphas, now? I don't know yet, but the internet plays its role in keeping us together in spite of our vast differences when it comes to social media language. We share memes and catchphrases, movie quotes, and we often ask questions like "WTF is FUBAR?" or "What do you mean, 'You lost the game?' What game?" (For those who just lost the game, you're welcome...)
Language is meant to evolve, and this book breaks down why we need to accept this by focusing on the evolution of internet and social media language in particular. It gives a little nod to every generation for the complex nature of evolving language and their role in its progress. It might give older generations a better perspective on why, say, a period after a texted sentence is potentially a faux pas. Personally as a writer, I'm not fully accepting of the elimination of punctuation in text threads. Sue me. I was born before '69 (nice). But with the internet influence on the ever evolving fluidity of our language, maybe those Millennials, Gen Zs and Alphas (?) will one day change their minds. Gen X and the Boomers can only hope.
Such a fun listen! The audio was well-done, and it was kind of fun to hear the author's Canadian accent crop up occasionally. This was an especially good listen for our current situation, when the vast majority of our socialization is taking place online and memes are having a heyday. She covers everything from the history of internet use to internet abbreviations to memes to emoticons and emojis, all with humor and enthusiasm.
Content warning: Swears sprinkled in a few spots in the book. About half are used very academically, just to explain the meanings of common internet abbreviations. The rest are either quoting internet interactions or referring to a meme. Also, references to the eggplant emoji as a phallic symbol. (insert shrug emoji here)
Content warning: Swears sprinkled in a few spots in the book. About half are used very academically, just to explain the meanings of common internet abbreviations. The rest are either quoting internet interactions or referring to a meme. Also, references to the eggplant emoji as a phallic symbol. (insert shrug emoji here)
This is one of the best books I've read. It's informative and enlightening, but funny along the way. An entire chapter on emoji, and a deep treatment of whether periods at the end of text messages matter, are among the many highlights of this book.
This book was useful and engaging and enjoyable, and I found myself talking at length in the pub about it which is always a good sign. I do find linguistics fascinating anyway and here's a whole book looking at how we can now study the informal writing that characterises the internet and some of the fascinating norms (and shifts in norms) that have come with the territory. We are still in an era of massive changes and so the charting the shifting sands of what constitutes not Doing It The Wrong Way with regards to communication that is informal and written down is fun and rather daunting. The internet didn't create informal writing but it has made it more common.
I really like how the research into the newer forms of text that so many of us are immersing ourselves in is still grounded in how previous technology shifts happened. There are some really interesting bits of history of the early computing days, but also how there have been attempts to denote irony or sarcasm using typological cues for centuries! The ongoing search for how to convey meaning spills into the text forms of the internet and there have been many, many clever uses. I really enjoyed reading about the creations of a "typographical tone of voice" in text and the history of emojis and what function they are having in communication.
I felt I learned a lot, but also recognised a lot that I hadn't had terms for before or known how to name. "As early as 2001, the linguist David Crystal was doubting how many lols were truly out loud, and as one widely shared Reddit post put it, "We should really change 'lol' to 'ne' (nose exhale), because that's all we really do when we see something funny online."" So true Reddit, so true.
I really like how the research into the newer forms of text that so many of us are immersing ourselves in is still grounded in how previous technology shifts happened. There are some really interesting bits of history of the early computing days, but also how there have been attempts to denote irony or sarcasm using typological cues for centuries! The ongoing search for how to convey meaning spills into the text forms of the internet and there have been many, many clever uses. I really enjoyed reading about the creations of a "typographical tone of voice" in text and the history of emojis and what function they are having in communication.
I felt I learned a lot, but also recognised a lot that I hadn't had terms for before or known how to name. "As early as 2001, the linguist David Crystal was doubting how many lols were truly out loud, and as one widely shared Reddit post put it, "We should really change 'lol' to 'ne' (nose exhale), because that's all we really do when we see something funny online."" So true Reddit, so true.
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
A very interesting look at the history and future of internet language. A bit overly wordy in places, but worth it for a deeper understanding of just what that period means in your text message. :)