Algospeak

A way that creators can avoid getting their content flagged, often by misspelling or replacing letters in a word.

What is algospeak on social media?

Users can replace words or phrases that may go against community guidelines and replace them with code words or even emojis. Writing with algospeak instead of the actual words allows users to avoid content moderation systems. This ensures their posts don’t get flagged or removed.

Social media algorithms are the mathematical equations and models used by platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, or Twitter, to determine what content is shown to users. These algorithms are designed to personalize the content users see and create a more personalized, relevant content experience.

Are there words you can't say on TikTok?

Yes, TikTok has community guidelines that prohibit certain types of content, including words and phrases that are considered inappropriate or offensive. Some examples of words that are generally not allowed on TikTok include hate speech, bullying, harassment, sexually explicit content, and violent or graphic content.

TikTok may also remove content that contains certain words or phrases that are associated with harmful behavior, such as promoting drug use or self-harm. TikTok also prohibits the use of copyrighted material without permission from the copyright owner.

Why do people misspell things on TikTok?

TikTok's community guidelines create rules around what types of content or topics are not allowed to be posted or shared on the platform. Failure to comply with these guidelines could result in your content being removed, your account being suspended, or even legal action being taken against you.

In order to avoid detection from TikTok’s community guideline moderation system, some users may use algospeak to hide or cover up words that may not be allowed. This can include using secret code words, emojis, or misspelling words.

What are common algospeak words and phrases?

Because every social network has a different set of community guidelines, the algospeak used on each network is slightly different. Some common substitution examples on TikTok include:

• “Corn” or 🌽 instead of porn

• “Seggs” instead of sex

• “Unalive” instead of dead or kill

• “Panini / panorama / panoramic” instead of pandemic