Why do people, like, say, ‘like’ so much?

It’s time to like the word like: ‘It isn’t just a filler word. It’s actually incredibly versatile and dynamic.’ Illustration: Anna Kiosse/The Observer

I’m listening to BBC Radio 1, where they are interviewing the 26-year-old actor and singer Dove Cameron about her globally successful hit, Boyfriend. The DJ, Melvin Odoom, asks her, “Do you think that your acting career has helped you with, kind of, like, your music career?”

“For me they’re, like, the same energy,” replies Cameron. “Which is, like, when people are, like, ‘You have to choose,’ I’m like, ‘They feel the same!’”