It started with “chav” and has included “carbon footprint”, “omnishambles” and “selfie”. The Oxford word of the year campaign celebrates 20 years of selecting the word – or sometimes two words – that in some way sums up the moment. This year’s winner, decided by public vote, will be announced on Monday.
All six contenders on the shortlist have one thing in common – the internet. The words either refer to anxieties about online phenomena or behaviour (“slop”, meaning AI-generated content, and “brain rot” caused by consuming too much “slop” and other material); or they have been repurposed or popularised by social media (old-fashioned words such as “demure” and “lore”, and “romantasy” – a blend of romance and fantasy beloved by BookTokkers). Even “dynamic pricing” relates to Ticketmaster’s skyrocketing costs of Oasis reunion tickets for fans in virtual queues.
