PUBLISHEDJuly 31, 2025

IFLScience The Big Questions: How Has The Internet Changed The Way We Use Language?

Tell the group chat BRB, and listen to find out.

Tom Hale

Senior Journalist

Tom has a Master's degree in Journalism. His editorial work covers anything from archaeology and the environment to technology and culture.View full profile

Tom has a Master's degree in Journalism. His editorial work covers anything from archaeology and the environment to technology and culture.

View full profile

A phone showing season 5 of The Big Questions, on background of a close up photograph of an open dictionary — Slang terms popularized by the Internet have even ended up in dictionaries.
Image credit: M.Nergiz/Shutterstock.com; modified by IFLScience

Language can evolve surprisingly quickly, and nothing has sped it up quite like the invention of the Internet. So, how does it affect how we communicate, not just on our devices but offline, IRL?

Join host Tom Hale, senior journalist at IFLScience, as he discusses this and more with Internet linguist Dr Gretchen McCulloch, where they explore the origins of Internet acronyms, interpreting tone via emojis, memes in real life, and the universal need for ironic punctuation marks.

You can listen to this episode and subscribe to the podcast on all your favorite podcast apps: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podbean, Amazon Music, and more.