tech
The social media algorithm has left me behind. I’m unc and I’m chopped
If you have to Google an internet or gen Z/alpha slang term, you absolutely shouldn’t be using it. I’m accepting this milestone with quiet dignity
TL;DR
- The author has reached an age where she needs to Google Gen Z slang, a milestone she calls "quiet dignity."
- Previously, slang was absorbed through osmosis due to spending extensive time online.
- The internet is now fragmented into "microcultures" with independent languages, making it impossible to understand everything.
- The author appreciates the evolution of language but recognizes she no longer has a "front-row seat."
- She advises against using slang that needs to be Googled, especially for public figures, as it can be embarrassing and detrimental to the slang term itself.
- The author will continue to study slang for her own understanding but accepts her limits.
- Rebecca Shaw is a writer based in Sydney.