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rharriskay's review against another edition
3.75
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 this 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 this 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.
pollyandthebooks's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
hiveretcafe's review against another edition
4.0
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.
dabbledev's review against another edition
2.0
It was a nice collection of nostalgia but not really a new take I didn't already inherently know.