Online conversations, when made public, are closely monitored. Moderation algorithms have become the invisible intermediaries in most of our digital exchanges. They automatically filter the content that passes through social networks. But how can we continue to say what we want when machines decide what can or cannot be said? It is in this constrained space that “algospeak” is born, or “speaking algo”.
This term refers to a set of lexical, graphic, and discursive strategies that allow internet users to bypass the detection of sensitive content related to violence, sexuality, suicide, or drugs. Why “speak algo”, who is it for, and for what purpose? Is this language an invention specific to the digital age, or does it belong to a more ancient tradition, that of cryptolects and slang? And you, do you master “algospeak”? In this column, Pop Culture, written with Jérôme Piron, Arnaud Hoedt initiates you to “algospeak”.
Emojis and symbols to deceive algorithms
The most common practice involves playing with spelling variations by replacing certain letters with numbers or symbols. For example, “sex” can be written with the euro symbol instead of vowels “S€x”, “slut” with an ‘@’ symbol, or “butt” with the number 3 instead of the first ‘e’. The file extension “PDF file” sometimes replaces the word “pedophile”.
Emoticons also play a part in these manipulations, intended to be understood by those who share the code and to deceive the vigilance of algorithms. A “world map” emoji becomes the emblem of white supremacists on a global scale, a Swiss flag can evoke suicide, or a zebra scarification.
The algo, a language older than it seems
As you may have understood, speaking algo often conceals the dark side of the Internet. But it can also be used by activists trying to circumvent laws deemed unfair. For instance, in the United States, after the repeal of the Roe vs Wade law protecting the right to abortion, some women started talking about going “camping” to denote their movement to states where abortion was still legal.
Although recent, speaking algo corresponds to a phenomenon much older than what linguists call cryptolects (from the Greek kruptos: “hidden”). The algo language presents similarities with classic slang: it is creative, incomprehensible to the uninitiated, and allows those who use it to identify with a group.
A counter-language: resisting or concealing the unacceptable?
However, the major difference of this “algospeak” lies in the nature of the excluded recipient. While slang primarily aims to signify belonging, algospeak is oriented towards avoiding a non-human third party: the machine.
This technical constraint explains its great instability and rapid renewal, with each form becoming obsolete as soon as it is identified by algorithms.
Whether it is seen as a counter-language serving a counter-society seeking to resist generalized surveillance, or a way to enable the spread of taboo ideas under the radar, these algo languages perfectly illustrate how technical constraints influence, sometimes in a “loucedé” way, the evolution of our language.
Bibliographical references: – Halliday, M. A. K. (1976). Anti-languages. American Anthropologist, 78(3), 570-584. DOI: 10.1525/aa.1976.78.3.02a00050 – “Internet ‘algospeak’ is changing our language in real time, from ‘nip nops’ to ‘le dollar bean’,” Taylor Lorenz, washingtonpost.com, April 8, 2022. – Aleksic, A. (2025). Algospeak: How social media is transforming the future of language. Knopf. ISBN 9780593804070.
