https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/04/08/algospeak-tiktok-le-dollar-bean/ “Algospeak” is becoming increasingly...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/04/08/algospeak-tiktok-le-dollar-bean/
“Algospeak” is becoming increasingly common across the Internet as people seek to bypass content moderation filters on social media platforms such as TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Twitch.
Algospeak refers to 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. For instance, in many online videos, it’s common to say “unalive” rather than “dead,” “SA” instead of “sexual assault,” or “spicy eggplant” instead of “vibrator.”
[…]
During YouTube’s “adpocalypse” in 2017, when advertisers pulled their dollars from the platform over fears of unsafe content, LGBTQ creators spoke about having videos demonetized for saying the word “gay.” Some began using the word less or substituting others to keep their content monetized. More recently, users on TikTok have started to say “cornucopia” rather than “homophobia,” or say they’re members of the “leg booty” community to signify that they’re LGBTQ.
[…]
TikTok users now use the phrase “le dollar bean” instead of “lesbian” because it’s the way TikTok’s text-to-speech feature pronounces “Le$bian,” a censored way of writing “lesbian” that users believe will evade content moderation.
The Internet is for pr0n, after all.
I loathe TikTok but admit it does warm my heart to see that TikTokers have literally rediscovered l33t5p34k. Maybe the kids will be alright.