In the age of deepfakes and post-truth, as artificial intelligence (AI) advances and Elon Musk turns Twitter into X, the popular American online dictionary Merriam-Webster has chosen “authentic” as the word of the year 2023.
“Authentic” can appear in phrases like authentic cuisine , authentic voice, authentic self… Merriam-Webster says there have been high searches for the definition of “authentic” over the past few years, but 2023 will see “a significant increase” thanks to “stories and conversations about AI, celebrity culture, identity, and social media.”
The reason so many people look it up is because “authentic” has many meanings, including “not fake” or “not an imitation” and “true to one's own character, spirit, or personality.”
“We see a kind of authenticity crisis in 2023,” Merriam-Webster Editor-in-Chief Peter Sokolowski said on Nov. 27 when announcing the word of the year. “What we’re finding is that when we question authenticity, we value it even more.”
Meaning of the word authentic as defined by Merriam-Webster, November 27, 2023. Photo: AP/Daily Sabah
The 180-year-old American Dictionary notes that “authentic” is also a term favored by celebrities like singers Lainey Wilson, Sam Smith and Taylor Swift, who made headlines this year with statements about finding their “authentic voice” and “authentic self.”
Another fan of the word “authentic” is billionaire Elon Musk. The world’s richest man called on business leaders, politicians , ministers and other leaders to “speak authentically” on social media at an international conference in Dubai in February.
But “authentic” became a bigger issue earlier this year when Musk, as the new boss of Twitter, now known as X, removed the blue checkmark that helps verify identity. Now it’s only available in a paid version.
The rise of AI has blurred the line between “real” and “fake,” leaving celebrities, brands, and social media influencers eager to prove their authenticity.
2023 marks the 20th anniversary of Merriam-Webster, America's oldest dictionary publisher, selecting its top word of the year. Photo: TIME
Another word that has been trending in searches this year is the closely related “deepfake,” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
“Deepfake” is defined by Merriam-Webster as “an image or recording that has been altered and manipulated to misrepresent someone as doing or saying something they did not actually do or say.”
In addition, there are a number of words that also attracted unusually high search volume in 2023, including “X” (searches spiked in July after Musk rebranded Twitter); “Kibbutz” (searches spiked after several areas near the Gaza Strip were attacked by Hamas forces on October 7); “Implode” (referring to the explosion of the Titan submarine on June 18 during a commercial expedition to explore the wreckage of the Titanic); “Coronation” (referring to the coronation of King Charles III on May 6, with search numbers for this word jumping 15,681% compared to the previous year)... .
Minh Duc (According to CNN, AP)
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