How technology has changed our language (infographic)

17 Jun 2016

Remember when cookies were just a delicious sweet treat?

Our language is ever-changing, evolving all the time as words fall out of use or acquire new meanings.

We only need to look back at the works of greats like Shakespeare, Austen and Dickens to see how the English language has changed over time.

Societal change and education were often the dominant factors that led to language evolving in times past, but there is no doubt about what has had the greatest impact on how we speak in recent years – technology.

Emoji, LOL, ROFL, selfie, blogging – these words meant little or nothing just a few short years ago but now are part of our everyday lexicon.

With this in mind, Decluttr created this infographic showing how technology has changed the meaning of words.

A cloud is no longer just in the sky, while a drone is now far more than a mere annoying noise.

Click on the infographic to see a larger version.

Decluttr_Language_of_Tech_FINAL-01

Cookies image via Shutterstock

Brigid O Gorman is a former sub-editor of Silicon Republic.

editorial@siliconrepublic.com