the engagement economy
https://etymology.substack.com/p/the-engagement-economy
Published: September 17, 2025 21:19
how we replaced attention with its own metric
🦜 The Etymology Nerd | Adam Aleksic | Substack
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ruminations on modern language and communication. Click to read The Etymology Nerd, by Adam Aleksic, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.
Site URL: etymology.substack.com
Feed URL: etymology.substack.com/feed
Posts: 21
Followers: 1
how to look at social media
https://etymology.substack.com/p/how-to-look-at-social-media
Published: September 8, 2025 05:09
a guide for regaining agency in the algorithmic milieu
what the evils of TV reveal about the evils of social media
https://etymology.substack.com/p/what-the-evils-of-tv-reveal-about
Published: September 2, 2025 15:06
Any time I think too hard about how social media is affecting us, I always end up back at the television.
neural networks are changing our vibes
https://etymology.substack.com/p/neural-networks-are-changing-our
Published: August 25, 2025 22:14
Last week, I published two op-eds that initially seem unrelated but actually aren’t.
against content
https://etymology.substack.com/p/against-content
Published: August 12, 2025 05:00
I’ve always felt that it’s very strange to have “followers” on social media.
stay on your phone
https://etymology.substack.com/p/stay-on-your-phone
Published: August 5, 2025 07:14
(within reason)
how social media subjugates us
https://etymology.substack.com/p/how-social-media-subjugates-us
Published: July 25, 2025 15:02
You’re hunched over on the toilet, pants around your ankles, watching me on TikTok.
algorithmic performativity
https://etymology.substack.com/p/algorithmic-performativity
Published: July 19, 2025 20:44
Chat, we all act differently when we’re being watched.
ALGOSPEAK IS NOW OUT IN BOOKSTORES
https://etymology.substack.com/p/algospeak-is-now-out-in-bookstores
Published: July 15, 2025 11:30
oh my god it’s been a crazy week.
I see more stars online than in the sky ✨
https://etymology.substack.com/p/i-see-more-stars-online-than-in-the
Published: July 4, 2025 16:17
At some point in the last century, we collectively began looking at more representations of stars than stars themselves.
social media and the collapse of ritual
https://etymology.substack.com/p/social-media-and-the-collapse-of
Published: June 21, 2025 20:07
Museums have kind of been freaking me out recently.
banality of the algorithm
https://etymology.substack.com/p/banality-of-the-algorithm
Published: June 6, 2025 18:18
This Tuesday, my father and I drove up to Bard College to pay our respects to the grave of Hannah Arendt.
why you should be smelling more things
https://etymology.substack.com/p/why-you-should-be-smelling-more-things
Published: June 1, 2025 20:33
One of the silly little quirks of being human is that we pretend that some experiences are more real than others.
you're literally worshipping your phone
https://etymology.substack.com/p/youre-literally-worshipping-your
Published: May 18, 2025 18:41
how scrolling becomes a religious act
what the “algorithm” is, what you think it is, and why those aren't the same
https://etymology.substack.com/p/what-the-algorithm-is-what-you-think
Published: May 9, 2025 20:15
Isn’t it so convenient how I can upload a video to TikTok, and then the algorithm immediately understands that you’re my target audience?
the default isn't always best
https://etymology.substack.com/p/the-default-isnt-always-best
Published: May 5, 2025 13:49
“I woke up as the sun was reddening; and that was the one distinct time in my life, the strangest moment of all, when I didn't know who I was.”
there is no online authenticity
https://etymology.substack.com/p/there-is-no-online-authenticity
Published: April 28, 2025 10:52
at the end of the day, everything is slop
substack's discoverability paradox
https://etymology.substack.com/p/substacks-discoverability-paradox
Published: April 25, 2025 07:30
I don’t think I’ve ever outwardly articulated my goals on social media, so here goes:
algorithms are killing coincidences. what does that mean for language?
https://etymology.substack.com/p/algorithms-are-killing-coincidences
Published: April 19, 2025 06:37
Let’s start with the basics: humans do not think like machines do.
technofeudalism and the death of serendipity
https://etymology.substack.com/p/technofeudalism-and-the-death-of
Published: April 16, 2025 06:51
I’ve always been a stubborn holdout against food delivery apps.
the ritual of the algorithm
https://etymology.substack.com/p/the-ritual-of-the-algorithm
Published: April 13, 2025 16:38
what do we think is happening online?