” The$bean », « panoramic », « seggs “: a new vocabulary is gaining popularity on social networks to fool the moderation of algorithms. Although it is widely used by content creators in Quebec and elsewhere in the world, this new jargon has little chance of being introduced into the common language, since it is constantly evolving. The phenomenon, which can be observed in different languages, especially on TikTok, is calledalgotalk oralgospeak.
“It’s a strategy that aims to replace complete words or letters in words with other words or with emojis. The idea is to camouflage a word to avoid being caught by an algorithm,” explains Mélanie Millette, professor in the Department of Social and Public Communication at the University of Quebec in Montreal. Synonyms, paraphrases or euphemisms: the strategies used are numerous, according to Elizabeth Allyn Smith, professor in the Department of Linguistics at the same university.
Online, examples abound. We now use “become non-living” to refer to death or suicide. We change the characters from “lesbian” to ” the$bean “, which is understood phonetically as ” the dollar bean “, in English. And ” seggs is code for “sex.”
Users recognize the phenomenon: 51% of Americans consulted in a Telus International survey in 2022 said they had noticed some form ofalgospeak, especially on social networks or in forums.
“During the pandemic, for example, there was a concern not to publish false information,” explains Elizabeth Allyn Smith. Social media algorithms were monitoring all content linked to it and removing some or highlighting it less. That’s why words like “panoramic” have appeared to talk about the pandemic, says the expert.
New networks, old techniques
Using codes to camouflage something is not really new. “As soon as we started talking, there were words that we wanted to avoid, either with certain people, with certain groups or in certain circumstances,” explains Ms.me Smith.
The First World War was a period when codes abounded to camouflage important messages, recalls Mme Millette. Of our time, I‘algospeak is part of the large family of linguistic avoidance. Web discussions, even in their infancy, were no exception.
Who benefits from this new language? “In the case of oppressed communities, such as people of sexual and gender diversity, it can become a strategy to be able to find ourselves among ourselves, then to talk about our real issues without being, without stopping, censor our words,” explains Mélanie Millette.
She gives the example of the reversal of Roe v. wade in the USA. Quickly, thealgotalk “camping” replaced the word “abortion”, again to avoid censorship. In particular, one user offered transportation to go “camping” in another state.
Censored sex education and invisibility
Both on YouTube and Instagram, usage policies prohibit certain topics, and algorithms are trained to look for certain words to enforce said policy. TikTok’s Community Rules state, for example, that: “Services or activity of a sexual nature are not permitted. But the algorithm sometimes censors content that doesn’t violate the rules.
“Every time I open the app [TikTok], I always ask myself: “Am I going to have my account removed?” “On her social networks, Anne-Marie Ménard, known for her account In bed with Anne-Marie, does sex and relationship education. To do this, it uses certain words that the algorithm can associate with explicit content, such as clitoris or penis. This is why one of his strategies is to replace the “s” of these words with the sign “$”. “It is absolutely necessary to modify the characters so that it can pass,” says the content creator.
If the algorithm detects these terms, Anne-Marie risks “invisibility”, or ” shadow ban “, in English. This practice consists of limiting the distribution or even removing material posted by a user, according to a 2021 Wisconsin bill. Even if the various platforms deny this practice, content creators see it.
Hazards
Go under the radar of algorithms thanks to thealgotalk, it is also a technique that some groups that use hate speech can use. “In communities of the misogynistic manosphere like the incels (involuntary celibates), there are many algospeakbut there is also a lot of hateful jargon to describe women,” says Mélanie Millette.
Elizabeth Allyn Smith explains that even if the algorithm eventually detects these codes, these kinds of people will find other ways to incite violence “with words that the algorithm has not yet learned”. This can lead to danger, according to the expert. “Algorithms are constantly changing, through machine learning. “Over time, he can therefore grasp that the videos with the keyword “panoramic” are in fact about a pandemic. “Strategies work until they are identified,” says Ms.me Millette.
A language that will remain?
“Each language, each form, whether spoken or written, is always in constant evolution”, recalls Elizabeth Allyn Smith. But the expressions or words of algotalk will they be found in common language? Only a very small percentage, according to the expert.
“We must not forget that less than half of the population is on TikTok. So it would really take everyone to be there for it to pass [dans le langage courant]. […] And we must not forget either that the things that we find a little coolonce our parents find out, it’s no longer cool. So there are certain terms that will naturally disappear. »