The Etymology Nerd | Adam Aleksic | Substack
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etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
The Etymology Nerd | Adam Aleksic | Substack
@etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
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linguistic ruminations and updates. Click to read The Etymology Nerd, by Adam Aleksic, a Substack publication with tens of thousands of subscribers.

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etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
the gooner and the caveman
A man in a gnome hat stands on a soapbox.
etymology.substack.com
October 30, 2025 at 1:11 AM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
feeling without thinking
There are two ways you can look at media: immerse yourself, or detach yourself.
etymology.substack.com
October 30, 2025 at 1:11 AM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
notes on slop
“Slop” is subjectively defined, and yet shares certain universal features: it is always seen as negative, and connotes mass distribution to an ignorant group of consumers.
etymology.substack.com
October 25, 2025 at 1:02 AM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
why platforms are killing the hashtag
Today I write in anticipatory nostalgia for the cornerstone of a more democratic internet—one which is slowly being stolen from us.
etymology.substack.com
October 19, 2025 at 12:53 AM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
the engagement economy
how we replaced attention with its own metric
etymology.substack.com
October 1, 2025 at 12:38 AM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
how to look at social media
a guide for regaining agency in the algorithmic milieu
etymology.substack.com
September 22, 2025 at 12:28 AM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
what the evils of TV reveal about the evils of social media
Any time I think too hard about how social media is affecting us, I always end up back at the television.
etymology.substack.com
September 15, 2025 at 12:22 AM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
neural networks are changing our vibes
Last week, I published two op-eds that initially seem unrelated but actually aren’t.
etymology.substack.com
September 2, 2025 at 12:19 AM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
against content
I’ve always felt that it’s very strange to have “followers” on social media.
etymology.substack.com
August 20, 2025 at 12:18 AM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
stay on your phone
(within reason)
etymology.substack.com
August 14, 2025 at 12:20 AM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
how social media subjugates us
You’re hunched over on the toilet, pants around your ankles, watching me on TikTok.
etymology.substack.com
August 7, 2025 at 12:08 AM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
algorithmic performativity
Chat, we all act differently when we’re being watched.
etymology.substack.com
August 2, 2025 at 12:06 AM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
ALGOSPEAK IS NOW OUT IN BOOKSTORES
oh my god it’s been a crazy week.
etymology.substack.com
July 29, 2025 at 12:06 AM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
I see more stars online than in the sky ✨
At some point in the last century, we collectively began looking at more representations of stars than stars themselves.
etymology.substack.com
July 16, 2025 at 12:04 AM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
social media and the collapse of ritual
Museums have kind of been freaking me out recently.
etymology.substack.com
July 1, 2025 at 12:03 AM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
Algospeak is out in ONE MONTH
mom can you pick me up i'm scared
etymology.substack.com
June 28, 2025 at 11:50 PM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
banality of the algorithm
This Tuesday, my father and I drove up to Bard College to pay our respects to the grave of Hannah Arendt.
etymology.substack.com
June 13, 2025 at 11:51 PM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
why you should be smelling more things
One of the silly little quirks of being human is that we pretend that some experiences are more real than others.
etymology.substack.com
June 8, 2025 at 11:49 PM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
you're literally worshipping your phone
how scrolling becomes a religious act
etymology.substack.com
May 31, 2025 at 11:49 PM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
what the “algorithm” is, what you think it is, and why those aren't the same
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?
etymology.substack.com
May 17, 2025 at 11:48 PM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
the default isn't always best
“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.”
etymology.substack.com
May 14, 2025 at 11:47 PM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
there is no online authenticity
at the end of the day, everything is slop
etymology.substack.com
May 7, 2025 at 11:50 PM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
substack's discoverability paradox
I don’t think I’ve ever outwardly articulated my goals on social media, so here goes:
etymology.substack.com
May 3, 2025 at 1:41 AM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
algorithms are killing coincidences. what does that mean for language?
Let’s start with the basics: humans do not think like machines do.
etymology.substack.com
April 26, 2025 at 11:18 PM
etymology.substack.com.web.brid.gy
technofeudalism and the death of serendipity
I’ve always been a stubborn holdout against food delivery apps.
etymology.substack.com
April 24, 2025 at 11:32 PM