2025: As words change, so does the world

If the words that reflect the spirit of language and the era are changing, then social reality is changing too. And indeed, our expectations, our objections, and our hopes are changing as well. The Oxford Dictionary selects a “Word of the Year” every year. The selection is made by scanning millions of digital texts, taking into account frequency of use, rapid growth in usage, and cultural context. In other words, Oxford does not choose words because it “likes” them, but because they are already in circulation. But do these words describe the whole world, or do they speak from a specific global perspective? Looking at the words of the year from the last five years, it is possible to see traces of a digital and individualistic mindset centered on the Global North and the West, rather than a global human condition. The selected words contain a world where uncertainty, rupture, inward turning, decay, anger, and digitalization have gained momentum.

UNPRECEDENTED 2020

In 2020, for the first time, Oxford could not select a single “Word of the Year.” The inability to choose a word was a message in itself. The world was experiencing a change so rapid and jarring that it could not be defined. Instead, a list of concepts describing 2020, which it defined as “unprecedented,” was published. Words like pandemic, quarantine, and social distancing symbolized the health crisis and, with it, a global-scale standstill. However, even the absence of a word is open to criticism. Because for a part of the world, major crises and chaos were not a new phenomenon. For societies experiencing poverty, war, migration, and inequality, 2020 had only added new problems. In this sense, the expression “unprecedented” clearly showed whose experience was being centered.

THE YEAR 2021: VAX

The chosen word was “vax,” meaning vaccine. Beyond being a scientific development, the vaccine sat at the center of politics, conspiracy theories, and social polarization in the media. Anti-vaccination, conspiracy theories, a crisis of trust, and misinformation revealed how fragile the concepts of common sense and science are in societies. However, a critical stance is necessary here as well. “Vax” debates were brought to the center of the agenda not by the billions of people who could not access the vaccine, but by societies that had the luxury of refusing it, and once again, it rendered global inequalities invisible.

2022: INDIVIDUALIZED RESISTANCE

The word chosen in 2022, “Goblin mode,” describes a messy, indifferent, and inward-looking state of mind that rejects the productivity, aesthetic, and success norms imposed by society. With this word, the human condition and individual escape that involve not feeling the need to “look good” or “be productive” are glorified. Although being indifferent, withdrawing, and rejecting expectations may seem like an innocent rebellion at first glance, this concept also legitimizes a conscious break from social responsibility. It is a state of mind that chooses to turn inward instead of facing the exhausting system. In other words, acceptance instead of criticism, giving up instead of transformation.

2023 RIZZ: THE COMMODIFICATION OF IDENTITY

The word chosen in 2023, “rizz,” is an abbreviated word born especially from the language of younger generations. Expressing charisma, powers of persuasion, and social attractiveness, this word provides clues about how identity is constructed in the digital age. Being able to exist on social media, being visible, and being influential is the linguistic equivalent of an individual's self-marketing skill. With this word, which reveals the superficial success criteria of the digital age, charisma no longer comes from depth; it consists solely of digital performance.

2024 BRAIN ROT: ROTTING BRAIN, OR ROTTING SYSTEM?

In 2024, Oxford’s choice was “brain rot.” Describing how constant and low-quality digital content consumption creates mental fatigue and cognitive erosion, this expression is a critique of an era surrendered to interfaces. It is an ironic admission that attention spans are shortening and deep thought is being replaced by superficiality. It is accepted that constantly consumed low-quality content rots the mind, but the culprit of this decay is unclear. Is it corporate algorithms, platforms, or end-users? As a typical reflex of the digital age: define, label, and move on.

AND 2025: RAGE BAIT

“Rage bait” refers to posts made solely to generate anger, provoke, and collect engagement, leading nowhere. This choice is actually the natural result of the last five years. The final stop for exhausted minds, performance pressure, and the attention economy: a society that is constantly angry, constantly on edge, and constantly reactive. In digital media, anger is the emotion that circulates the fastest. Thinking takes time, understanding requires effort; getting angry is instantaneous and rewarded by algorithms. Thus, the public sphere of debate turns into noise that produces no solutions but brings engagement.

In conclusion, looking at the trajectory of words over the last 5 years, a clear picture emerges: words are more ironic and more defensive. With these words, the world is more unjust, more fragmented, more desperate, and more tired. There is a transition from global crises to individual inward turning, from collective values to fragmented identities. A collective threat like a pandemic results in individual attitudes, withdrawal, performance of stage and identity, exhaustion and mental decay, and ultimately, anger that produces no solutions. In other words, it shows a drift from common crises to personal defense mechanisms, then to mental fatigue, and finally to decay and unresolved anger. The aimless anger at the center of “Rage bait,” which describes 2025, is instantaneous, fragmented, and consumable. The system continues on its way without encountering a real challenge. This word and the human condition deserve deeper scrutiny.

The words chosen by Oxford are not descriptive, but deterministic. For example, why are there no active, political, and social words in Oxford’s selection that discuss solutions? In the context of the language-power relationship, could unresolved individual anger and reactions be the new management technique of the digital age? In short, I do not accept the passive words that shadow inequality and injustice and decorate desperation and individuality, nor their legitimization, and I will continue to examine this.