A word that says a lot about 2023 and is also a guide to the coming year 2024- “Authentic” has been announced as the Word Of The Year 2023 by Merriam Webster. In a world captivated by AI, the online dictionary has laid bare our ‘search’ for authenticity. What does this mean?
"Authentic" was selected as the 2023 word of the year by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, landing among the most-looked-up words in the dictionary's 500,000 entries, the company said in a press release Monday. If our search preferences reflect our values, the outlook for artificial intelligence doesn't seem promising.
Peter Sokolowski, the editor at large for Merriam-Webster, pointed out a notable trend—a discernible Crisis of Authenticity prevailing in today's landscape. As reported by News Agency AP, he added that this crisis paradoxically underscores a growing acknowledgment of the inherent value of authenticity.
Also, in a time where the lines between reality and manipulation become increasingly blurred, the concept of authenticity is gaining a newfound sense of reverence.
The online dictionary reports a consistently high volume of searches for the definition of the word over several years, but in 2023, there was a "substantial increase". This surge is attributed to "stories and conversations about AI, celebrity culture, identity, and social media."
The reason for the frequent searches is explained on the dictionary's website announcement, highlighting that "authentic" encompasses various meanings, such as "not false or imitation" and "true to one's own personality, spirit, or character."
The dictionary noted that "authentic" has been a favored term among celebrities, including singers Lainey Wilson, Sam Smith, and Taylor Swift. Throughout the year, these artists have grabbed headlines with statements about finding their "authentic voice" and embracing their "authentic self."
Elon Musk is also a notable enthusiast of the term, advocating for greater authenticity on social media. However, this stance became more contentious earlier in the year when Musk, now at the helm X (formerly known as Twitter), removed the trademark blue check sign of authenticity, making it available at a price.
Applications and platforms like BeReal prioritize capturing "authentic" experiences as their primary objective. Despite the deliberate crafting and planning involved in producing these videos, as articulated by Rebecca Jennings of Vox, “wherever people are supposedly being ‘authentic’ on the internet, the money will follow”.
The ascent of artificial intelligence, blurring the distinction between what is real and what is not, has prompted celebrities, brands, and social media influencers, among others, to be eager to demonstrate their authenticity.
Ironically, in a landscape where "authentic content creators" are now esteemed as the benchmark for establishing trust, the concept of "authenticity" has evolved into a form of performance.
Another noteworthy word that garnered attention in searches this year, as per the dictionary, is the closely related term "deepfake”, defined by Merriam Webster as "an image or recording that has been convincingly altered and manipulated to misrepresent someone as doing or saying something that was not actually done or said."
Merriam-Webster's annual selection of the word of the year represents a significant milestone. "Authentic" follows the previous year's choice of "Gaslighting," underscoring the evolving societal dynamics and concerns reflected through language and word usage.
While Merriam-Webster’s word of 2023 is “authentic,” the Cambridge dictionary chose “hallucinate” - in reference to when AI hallucinates and produces false information, and the Collins dictionary “AI” - the abbreviation for artificial intelligence.