Because Internet
By Gretchen McCulloch
Understanding the New Rules of Language. Riverhead Book, 2019.
Summary of Because Internet book by Gretchen McCulloch
An entertaining, engaging deep-dive into how we use language on the internet, showing how the English language is constantly changing and being re-invented through the endless nuances of new technologies and ways of communicating.
Chapters in Because Internet book summary
What do you get from this book? A new appreciation for how we communicate and express ourselves online
Language is complex and always changing, making it challenging to study—the internet provides a new way to do that
We use language to reflect our identities, make assumptions about people, and continuously recreate ourselves
All ways of speaking are valid, and tools like spellcheck and autocorrect impose arbitrary, elitist standards
Internet writing is a new genre—a system that has expanded, not corrupted, the way we express ourselves
The population of internet users can be divided up based on when people first started socializing online
As the internet progressed and more people got online, ways of communicating shifted, affecting each user’s experience
Conversations take different forms as communication technologies are developed—the chat format is one such new form
The internet provides people with a “third place” where they can find community and enrich their social lives
Writing online can be as expressive as in person communication, with its own tone of voice and emotional cues
Emojis allow us to gesture and illustrate what we’re saying, bringing our bodies into our online communication
Memes are an essential element of internet culture which show how in-jokes spread wildly and bring people together
We should stop picturing language like a book and realize that it’s an adaptable network, like the internet itself
Summary of the key insights
Selected critiques in brief
Final word
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Because Internet — Book Summary Snapshot
Who should read Because Internet book
- Budding linguists and language nerds
- social scientists
- anyone curious about how the internet influences our lives
- people who either love or hate emojis
About the author of Because Internet
Gretchen McCulloch
Gretchen McCulloch is a linguist who has been central in establishing the emerging field of internet linguistics. She has a master’s degree in linguistics from McGill University and writes widely on the subject of online language use, including for Wired, The New York Times, and other prestigious publications. This is McCulloch’s first book.
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Art and Attention in the Internet Age. Graywolf Press, 2015.
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