algospeak

Definition

Algospeak is coded language — deliberate misspellings, euphemisms, and substitute words — that social-media users adopt to evade automated content-moderation systems, so their posts are not flagged, demoted, or removed. ^[1] Writing in The Washington Post, the reporter Taylor Lorenz gave examples such as "unalive" rather than "dead", "SA" instead of "sexual assault", and "spicy eggplant" instead of "vibrator". ^[3]

Where it comes from

Wikipedia states the term — a blend of "algorithm" and "-speak" — appears to date back to 2021, though related evasion strategies existed earlier. ^[2] It reached a far wider audience in April 2022, when the Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz described algospeak as "code words or turns of phrase users have adopted in an effort to create a brand-safe lexicon that will avoid getting their posts removed or down-ranked by content moderation systems" on platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Twitch. ^[3]

In the manosphere

Algospeak is not specific to the manosphere — it is a broad social-media phenomenon that lets users keep discussing topics moderation systems would otherwise catch. ^[1] The same logic runs through manosphere content: writing in The Conversation, the linguist Robert Lawson described manosphere terminology as "a constantly evolving collection of terms, sometimes in response to new issues that emerge, or in an attempt to subvert social media moderation efforts (abbreviations and acronyms are good examples of this)". ^[4] Swapping a flagged word for an unflagged one is what lets any moderated community, including parts of the manosphere, keep its material circulating after the plain words are caught.