Sometimes these terms are thematically related, particularly in the wake of world-altering events. 'Pandemic,' 'lockdown' and 'coronavirus,' for example, were among the words chosen in 2020. At other times, they are a potpourri of various cultural trends, as with 2022's 'goblin mode,' 'permacrisis' and 'gaslighting.' This year's slate largely centers on digital life. But rather than reflecting the unbridled optimism about the internet of the early aughts ' when words like 'w00t,' 'blog,' 'tweet' and even 'face with tears of joy' emoji (') were chosen ' this year's selections reflect a growing unease over how the internet has become a hotbed of artifice, manipulation and fake relationships. Macquarie defines the term, which was popularized in 2024 by British programmer Simon Willison and tech journalist Casey Newton, as 'low-quality content created by generative AI, often containing errors, and not requested by the user.' AI slop ' which can range from a saccharine image of a young...
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