hello.

​I'm Adam Aleksic, a linguist and influencer best known for creating educational videos as the "Etymology Nerd" to a following of over three million across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube. You may also know me from my NYT bestselling book Algospeak, where I investigate how social media is changing language.

I have a linguistics degree from Harvard College, where I served as president of the Harvard Undergraduate Linguistics Society. I've lectured on language and social media at dozens of leading universities, and I am a frequent guest on NBC and NPR. I am currently writing a new book about how technology affects our vibes.

published writings
The Ugly Memes Driving Crypto Sales. Financial Times. December 2025.
From Skibidi to Rizz, Why the Internet Loves Slang. Financial Times. September 2025.
People Are Starting to Talk Like ChatGPT. The Washington Post. August 2025. 
The Insidious Creep of Trump's Speaking Style. The New York Times. August 2025.
How Incel Language Infected the Mainstream Internet. The Verge. July 2025.
These Video Game Terms Are Transforming Slang. The Washington Post. June 2024.
​Gen Z's New Punctuation. The Washington Post. May 2024.
How Gen Z Took Over Incel Slang. The Washington Post. April 2024.
The Effects of Language Policy on Language Identity in Serbia and Croatia. Harvard College Thesis. March 2023.

You can also follow me on substack here

contact
for Algospeak publicity: [email protected]
for other book business: [email protected]
general inquiries​: [email protected]