We Are Going to Kill "Unalive"
Anil Dash argues that platform algorithms have conditioned a generation to self-censor, replacing words like "die" and "rape" with euphemisms such as "unalive" and "grape." He traces this from TikTok to everyday speech and warns that AI trained on this sanitized internet may not even know the real world exists. His call to action: say what you mean, build independent platforms, and refuse to let corporations dictate your vocabulary.
If we’re trained to limit the words we speak just by habit, and those limits are put in place by people whose social, political, cultural and moral goals are the opposite of what we value, then our work is unalive before it is even born.