‘GOBLIN MODE’ SELECTED AS 2022 OXFORD WORD

Tue 6 December 2022:

The Oxford English Dictionary has chosen the slang term “goblin mode” as the word of the year, using a public vote for the first time in its history, the dictionary publisher Oxford Languages said.

The Oxford Word of the Year reflects the ethos, mood or preoccupations of the past twelve months, which has a potential as a term of lasting cultural significance.

“Goblin mode” is a slang term that is used to describe a type of behavior, which is “unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations,” according to the dictionary.

The expression was first used on Twitter in 2009, but went viral on social media in February this year. The term gained popularity after many countries eased COVID-19 restrictions, including lockdown, and some people started to reject the idea of “returning to normal life,” rebelling against the “increasingly unattainable aesthetic stands and unsustainable lifestyles exhibited on social media.”

That era may be on the way out. In its place is goblin mode – the opposite of trying to better yourself.

The OUP word of the year – also known as the Oxford word of the year – was chosen by the public for the first time. A group of lexicographers at OUP gave people a choice of: “Goblin mode,” “metaverse,” and “#IStandWith.”

“Goblin mode” triumphed, racking up 318,956 votes – 93% of the total. “Metaverse” came second and “#IStandWith” came third.

Casper Grathwohl, president of OUP’s Oxford Languages, said in a press release Monday that the “level of engagement with the campaign caught us totally by surprise.”

The term was first used in 2009 but went viral on social media earlier this year, OUP said. It shot to prominence after a fake headline claimed that the rapper formerly known as Kanye West and Julia Fox broke up after she “went goblin mode.”

“The term then rose in popularity over the months following as Covid lockdown restrictions eased in many countries and people ventured out of their homes more regularly,” according to the OUP.

“Seemingly, it captured the prevailing mood of individuals who rejected the idea of returning to ‘normal life’, or rebelled against the increasingly unattainable aesthetic standards and unsustainable lifestyles exhibited on social media.”

The term’s popularity may also be linked to the growth of new social media sites like BeReal, where users are invited once a day at random to post a photo of whatever they’re doing. Goodbye carefully curated social media feeds. Hello goblin mode.

The release gives examples of examples of when the term has been used. Among the most vivid was quoted in The Guardian: “Goblin mode is like when you wake up at 2am and shuffle into the kitchen wearing nothing but a long t-shirt to make a weird snack, like melted cheese on saltines.”

“People are embracing their inner goblin, and voters choosing ‘goblin mode’ as the Word of the Year tells us the concept is likely here to stay,” added Grathwohl.

The Word of the Year choice was conducted online over the last two weeks, with more than 300,000 English speakers casting their vote. The term “metaverse” came in second place and hashtag “IStandWith” secured third place.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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