Debates over social media, identity and AI are behind 2023 Word of the Year
Download mp3 (3 MB)The end of the year is nearly upon us and as we take a look back at 2023, many of us are asking, what defined it?
Spotify’s Wrapped is telling us what we listened to — aside from public radio, of course — and then there are the most-used words of 2023.
Merriam-Webster just released their 2023 Word of the Year. That word is “authentic.”
There’s a reason “authentic” was so big this year. Merriam Webster says Google searches of the word dramatically increased this year, apparently driven by debates over social media, identity and artificial intelligence.
AI-generated content has exploded this year, so it’s understandable that people might be concerned with finding the most “authentic” version of anything.
Merriam Webster specifically emphasizes the recent problems we’ve had distinguishing between what’s real, and what’s AI-generated fabrication. Between deepfake videos, school essays written by Chat GPT, and social media bot accounts — 2023 has been a year marred by misinformation.
That’s not the only reason “authentic” was so big though, in our social media saturated world, everyone wants to be “authentic" — even if they’re not. We want to see it from the celebrities we follow, and the friends we spend our time with.
While wanting authenticity isn't new, some of Merriam Webster’s runner-up words of the year are. They say some of this year's other key words included “deepfake” and “dystopia.” And on a happier note, they also included “coronation,” referring to King Charles III’s, and “EGOT” — the elusive Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.
Another word included on the list is “rizz,” which means “romantic appeal or charm”.
