In an age of deepfakes and post-truth, where artificial intelligence has become increasingly prevalent and Elon Musk has turned Twitter into a platform of his own, the Merriam-Webster word of the year for 2023 is “authentic.” This choice reflects a growing global concern and a crisis of authenticity.
According to Peter Sokolowski, editor at large for Merriam-Webster, the word “authentic” has consistently been a popular search term on the dictionary company’s site. However, its usage and interest reached new heights throughout the year. Sokolowski explained in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press that this year’s word choice reflects the realization that when we question authenticity, we value it even more.
While Merriam-Webster does not delve into the specific reasons behind people’s searches, they track lookup spikes and correlate them with world events. In 2023, there was no single significant event that caused a surge in searches for “authentic.” Instead, the increased interest remained constant, indicating a broader societal shift.
The rise of artificial intelligence was a prominent theme in 2023. However, it was also a year when authenticity became a focal point for public figures such as Taylor Swift and Prince Harry. Even Elon Musk himself emphasized the importance of authenticity during the World Government Summit in Dubai, urging leaders to “speak authentically” on social media by managing their own accounts.
Sokolowski highlighted the growing lack of trust in what we see and hear, stating, “We sometimes don’t believe our own eyes or our own ears. We are now recognizing that authenticity is a performance itself.” This crisis of authenticity has led to an increased desire for genuine experiences and interactions.
Merriam-Webster’s definition of “authentic” encompasses various meanings. It refers to something that is not false or imitation, but rather real and actual. It also relates to being true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character. Additionally, “authentic” implies being worthy of acceptance or belief based on facts and conforming to an original to reproduce essential features.
Choosing “authentic” as the word of the year follows 2022’s selection of “gaslighting.” This year marks Merriam-Webster’s 20th anniversary of choosing a top word, a tradition that provides insight into societal trends and concerns.
While Merriam-Webster’s data crunchers filter out evergreen words like “love” and common grammar-related words, they also exclude certain words that attract significant traffic due to popular games like Wordle and Quordle. This year, they also considered other top contenders for word of the year, including “X” (spiked in July after Musk’s Twitter rebranding), “EGOT” (boosted in February after Viola Davis achieved the rare quadruple-award status with a Grammy), and “Elemental” (due to the release of a new Pixar film).
Other notable words that attracted unusual traffic throughout the year include “Rizz,” a slang term for romantic appeal or charm, and “Kibbutz,” which experienced a massive spike in searches after Hamas militants attacked several communal farms or settlements in Israel. Lastly, “Implode” saw a surge in lookups following the June 18 implosion of the Titan submersible during a commercial expedition to explore the Titanic wreckage.
The selection of “authentic” as the word of the year reflects a global recognition of the importance of genuine experiences and interactions in an era dominated by artificial intelligence and a growing skepticism towards what we see and hear. As we navigate the complexities of the digital age, the desire for authenticity serves as a guiding principle in our search for truth and meaning.
Source: The Manila Times
