225. Speaking Fluent Internet: How Algorithms Are Changing the Way We Speak
Think Fast Talk Smart: Communication Techniques
Think Fast Talk Smart
4.7 • 805 Ratings
🗓️ 26 August 2025
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In the digital age, it’s critical to craft communication that fits the context.
Like it or not, algorithms now decide whose messages get heard. “If you want to communicate effectively,” says Adam Aleksic, “you need to be exactly aware of what that medium is doing.”
Aleksic is a linguist, author, and educational content creator with millions of followers across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. His latest book, Algospeak: How Social Media Is Transforming the Future of Language, explores how the platforms we use create new contexts that require new ways of communicating. “Every medium uniquely affects how we communicate, and we adapt our speech to these media,” he says. In the same way that we tailor communication for the contexts of the office, the gym, or the bar, digital platforms — and the algorithms that drive them — require the same contextualized communication. “You have to appeal to [the] algorithm,” he says.
In this episode of Think Fast, Talk Smart, Aleksic and host Matt Abrahams examine how words are born, change meaning, and spread in the digital age. Their conversation highlights practical ways to be more intentional with the words we choose by considering the medium, understanding the context, and adapting communication accordingly.
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Episode Reference Links:
- Adam Aleksic
- Adam’s Book: Algospeak
- Ep.91 Um, Like, So: How Filler Words Can Create More Connected, Effective Communication
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- Matt Abrahams >>> LinkedIn
Chapters:
- (00:00) - Introduction
- (02:18) - Language, Labels, & Identity
- (04:37) - What Is Algospeak?
- (05:43) - Generational Language Gaps
- (08:00) - Communicating for Multiple Mediums
- (10:42) - Mastering Virality & Engagement
- (12:09) - Semiotics & Going Viral
- (13:55) - The Evolution of “Like”
- (15:06) - Hedging, Ambiguity, & Power Dynamics
- (17:44) - Actionable Takeaways on Communication
- (18:55) - Grammar: Rules, Context, & Changing Norms
- (20:58) - The Final Three Questions
- (26:09) - Conclusion
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, Matt here. Think Fast Talk Smart listeners from all over the world have shared how useful our August |
| 0:06.8 | newsletter's article on best practices for non-native speakers was for them. I wanted to remind you that for each |
| 0:13.6 | episode we provide English language learning support, where we share useful information to help you |
| 0:18.7 | develop your English skills. |
| 0:25.8 | Check out these English language learning and other resources, along with our newsletter and deep dive videos at Faster Smarter.io under Resources. |
| 0:34.5 | Words and language are conduits for culture. |
| 0:38.5 | My name's Matt Abrahams, and I teach strategic communication at Stanford Graduate School of Business. |
| 0:43.5 | Welcome to Think Fast, Talk Smart, the podcast. |
| 0:48.3 | We spend about a third of our waking hours working, but so many people feel stuck in their jobs they've outgrown. |
| 0:55.5 | I've heard it all. What if the next move is even worse? I can't afford to take the wrong step. |
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| 1:47.4 | Today I'm delighted to speak with Adam Alexic. Adam is a linguist and content creator posting |
| 1:52.7 | educational videos under the name the etymology nerd, and he has over two million followers. |
| 1:58.7 | He's lectured on language and social media at Stanford and other top universities. His latest book is called AlgoSpeak, How Social Media is Transforming the Future of Language. Well, welcome, Adam. I look forward to our conversation. My younger son is a follower of yours, and he and I are both really excited to hear this conversation. Thanks for being here. |
| 2:17.8 | I'm excited to be here. Thanks. Should we get started? Go ahead. As the son of both a lawyer |
| 2:23.3 | and an elementary school teacher, language and words have always been really important and |
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