Why Everyone Is Saying "Unalive": How Social Media Algorithms Reshape Modern Vocabulary

This working paper analyzes the emergence of algospeak, a specialized register that social media users develop to bypass automated content filters. Applying concepts from morphology, computer-mediated communication, and sociolinguistics, the study examines the word-formation patterns that emerge under algorithmic moderation. These include prefixation with zero-derivation, orthographic shifts, and semantic broadening. The paper also tracks how these circumventions move from technical evasion strategies into everyday spoken and written English.